


i want to ruin our friendship, we should be lovers instead

by thestarsspokehername



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: 30 Days of Sapphic, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Forehead Kisses, Sapphic Month, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 5 Spoilers, Title is from "Jenny" by Studio Killers, ctnplant Sapphic Month
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:22:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 23,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24497884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestarsspokehername/pseuds/thestarsspokehername
Summary: Catra really wanted to ruin their friendship.~A full month of Catradora for Sapphic Month, hosted by @ctnplant on Twitter!
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 34
Kudos: 351





	1. day 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today, June 1st, is the start of 3o Days of Sapphic to celebrate Pride Month, hosted by @ctnplant on Twitter! Really excited to bring some Catradora for all 30 days!
> 
> Day 1; Free Day!

“Catra?”

Her voice shakes with a timidness that only they could know, that only a child in their circumstances could understand. Ears twitch from the tone and she resists the urge to stare right into her eyes, knowing fully well she wouldn’t escape the trance that followed. 

Instead, the feline focused on the blond hair poof above her friend's head. She focused on the way the moonlight traveled over her arms, giving her skin an almost angelic glow, focused on how her fingers nervously fiddled with a loose hem of her Horde pajamas, focused on her pink lips and parted teeth and  _ god, she wanted to kiss her so badly, she had no idea what she did to Catra. _

“Yeah?”

Her voice came out thick, as if she was swimming through gravy, ears perked and tail wrapped around her waist. Adora didn’t respond right away, instead nervously shuffling closer. They both ignored the creaking of metal under them, or the small murmurs of the night guard from way below, or the fact that Shadow Weaver would murder them if she caught them out there at this hour. 

Her head gently thunked down on Catra’s shoulder, a small huff leaving the preteen. Both their shoulders sagged as a mutual silence washed over them, eyes glued onto the moons above. Adora’s fingers had stopped fiddling, instead resting still on her lap and Catra had to fight back the urge to grab her hand, intertwine their fingers and feel the softness of her skin against hers.

Another whispered question drags her from her daze.

“D’ya think we’ll stay together forever?”

It’s a breathless question, one that Catra couldn’t even fathom she asked. A small scoff leaves her, tail swishing as a wave of agitation washes over her. Of  _ course,  _ they’d be together forever, there was no future where they wouldn’t do everything together. They’d both climb the ranks, they’d both defeat the stupid princesses, and they’d both stay happily where they were.

“Of course, dummy. We’ve got so much to do here, remember?”

A giggle from the girl next to her is her reward for answering, instantly washing the wave of agitation away and Catra felt like she was floating. There was a rising heat in her cheeks and hands curled in on themselves, nails digging into her flesh. She was clueless, helpless, lost in a void, and just grasping for the next giggle, the next touch, the next smile she was given.

“Promise?”

She wouldn’t let anything ever come between them and what they could be, she swore it that night with only the Etherian moons as her witness.

“I promise.”


	2. day 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 2; demon & angel

Soulmates, two beings tied together by Lady Fate’s unbreakable thread, the most ancient promise that you’d never be alone.

Everyone said their soulmate was  _ special.  _ That was the exact word they all used, the very word that rattled around in Adora’s brain when she saw two angels holding hands, or two faes giggling into each other's ears, the telltale sign of the matching colors on their bodies shown off proudly. She’d seen the deepest swirls of blues on wrists, striped markings of green across noses, the brightest yellow stars on stomachs, and, in one instance, a huge orange lightning bolt down an ogre’s leg. All unique shades and all unique forms, no two ever the same.

But even with all the uniqueness, she’s never seen another living soul with a color or shape close to hers.

The angel’s wings, like any other angel, were as white as freshly fallen snow, until half of the way up. White feathers mix into grape purple ones, forming beautiful bursts akin to fireworks across her inner wings. The markings were huge, even bigger than the lightning bolt on the ogre’s leg, and extremely noticeable. While this got her pats on the back from her other friends, encouraging words and comments about how there’s no way she wouldn’t find her soulmate with markings like  _ those,  _ it also got her some less than stellar attention from her fellow angels.

Which led to her current situation.

“Guys? Anyone there?”

Her voice echoed through the empty forest, thick leaves and branches blocking out almost all sunlight from above. She took hesitant steps over fallen branches, tugging free the ends of her dress when they got caught, and sighed. 

“Ditched again. No, yeah, that’s fantastic.” 

The angel grumbled under her breath, promptly plopping down onto a large log and throwing her head into her hands. Her fingers dragged down her skin, a groan escaping her. She doesn’t know  _ why  _ she keeps trusting them. Logically, she knew their lies were just that; lies. But what if Lonnie really was trapped in the woods? What if Kyle really did get kidnapped by the ogres? She’d rather have herself be in some crazy dangerous situation than her friends.

Her hands balled into fists as soon as they fell away from her face, wings fluttering open and closed multiple times as she let her frustration grow. The dark woods did nothing to help her feel better, a bit of dread settling in snugly with her other feelings. She couldn’t fly out of this place and traversing it by foot was difficult enough, but throw in the fact that soon the sun was set, taking the little light she did have, and it would become impossible.

Adora probably would’ve sat there and moped until sundown had it not been for a sharp tug of pain on the lower area of her left wing, causing her to yelp and suddenly turn. Her wings poofed out to their full length in an instant as she glared at the attacker...only for it to fade into an annoyed scowl and roll of her eyes when she saw who it was.

“You again.”

“Hey, Adora.~ You don’t sound thrilled to see me, can’t imagine why.~”

The demon grinned down to the angel, who quickly looked away. Catra merely hummed at her actions, pointed ears flickering and tail wrapping away her waist. The plucked white feather was easily rolled over and in between her fingers, finally coming to a pause when she slipped it into the breast pocket of her cloak.

“Lost again?”

“I don’t need your help.”

“Oh yeah? Point which direction is the way out of here.”

Never one to back down from a challenge, Adora confidently raised her arm and pointed West. Catra’s lips tugged into a smirk that made the angel hang her head, arm ready to fall. 

Until fingers wrapped around her wrist and gently turned her arm from West to South, falling away once she was pointing in that direction. Blue eyes blinked once, twice, then stared up at the demon in slight confusion. Catra, on the other hand, refused to meet her gaze, finding her nails much more interesting.

“Walk that way for an hour and you’ll reach a decent enough clearing to fly out from. I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that once you’re in the sky, you’ll be fine.”

Slowly, Adora stood up. Her eyes narrowed, taking in Catra’s form. Her arms were crossed over her chest and, even though she couldn’t see them, Adora could tell from the twitches in the fabric that her covered wings were restless. Her eyes stayed averted from Adora’s gaze, finding immense interest in anything else.

“Are you telling the truth?”

“Aw, you’re doubting me? How s-”

“Last time, you sent me right into the Chimera’s den! And the other time, it was the Harpies!”

“Those were accidents.”

“And then there was the time with the quicksand, or, how about the…”

As Adora droned on and on about Catra’s less-than-stellar directions or some of her more deliberate pranks, the demon could hardly focus on her words. She more so focused on the marks on her wings, which were fluttering open and closed for exasperated effect.

“...and...hey, are you even listening to me?!”

“Yeah, I get it. Pranks bad, directions bad, but I  _ know  _ this time, okay?”

Finally, Catra met Adora’s eyes. She stared straight through her narrowed gaze with such intensity that it made Adora waver after a moment, wings pausing in their movements and finally closing. Catra continued her stare until Adora relented and gave a hesitant nod when she finally softened her gaze and let out a sigh of her own. Her arms slipped away from each other to hang at her sides.

“Look, just...trust me this time, okay? I’m not kidding.”

“Okay.”

Catra perked up when Adora agreed, blinking as a small smile formed on the angel’s face. Her mouth opened to form some words, a sound,  _ anything,  _ but she just couldn’t. Not when she looked like  _ that.  _ Catra quickly averted her eyes as a rush of heat enveloped her face but, luckily for her, Adora had already turned when she gained the courage to glance up again a few seconds later.

“Catra,” Adora hummed, not sparing a single glance behind her, “thank you.”

And as she disappeared in the direction Catra pointed her in, Catra knew she meant it from the tone in her voice. Yet, the demon stood and watched her disappear into the underbrush, nibbling on her bottom lip before a low sigh left her.

She unbuttoned her cloak, catching the feather from her pocket before it fell away to the ground. Her gray wings, much smaller than angel wings, sprung out and immediately began stretching, worn and ragged feathers bristling after being confined for so long. The purple fireworks that decorated her feathers mid-wing did not bristle, however. Not like she noticed anyways, too captivated with cupping the soft, white feather and smiling down at it.

Someday, she’d tell her soulmate about their bond, about why they kept running into one another, about why she hid her wings from her for so long.

Someday. 


	3. day 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 3; Ghibli!
> 
> Ponyo is my all-time fav Ghibli film, so I chose my favorite scene and slapped in Catradora, plus Glimmer and Angella!

“And...gotcha! Now, let’s rub you down and dry you off.”

White fluff filled her vision, stopping her momentum from rushing around the living room. Her ears twitched as she heard Glimmer laugh, but they quickly relaxed as she heard a loud shush from the blonde beside her. The towel fell away from obscuring her eyes after a moment, gently ruffling through her brown locks and maneuvering carefully around her ears.

“Look at that pretty brown hair, it’s almost dry.”

Angella cooed as she rubbed the towel over her head, wringing out any dampness. Her actions soon came to a slow as her eyes widened, hands pulling away from the towel altogether.

“And your clothes are dry…”

“That’s because Catra was a catfish, Mom! Water can’t make her wet!”

“Mhm!”

Glimmer hummed in agreement, both children nodding their heads in response to Angella’s questioning look. Catra didn’t reply, instead taking a deep whiff of the towel. This action drew all three of their attention as Catra pulled the fabric back with a small sigh of content, murmuring, “I really like this thing…”

“It’s called a towel! T, O, W…” 

“I didn’t ask.”

Angella sighed as Glimmer squawked in protest. She was sure that if her daughter was a cat, she’d be bristling right now. Catra, on the other hand, seemed unaware of the anger she stirred in the little girl, tail swaying lazily back and forth as she leaned against Adora. Mentally, she let out a small scream. As if two children who were always getting into shenanigans weren’t enough, now she had another that stirred the pot, possibly without even trying.

Clapping her hands together to get their attention, Angella stood up and began moving into the kitchen.

“Why don’t we calm ourselves down with a hot drink, hm?”

Three shrill screams of excitement met her ears as the children barrelled past her into the kitchen, Catra almost slamming into the stove as she slid to a stop beside the glass door.

“Now, Catra, hold the light for me!” 

She chirped as her arm reached over to the kitchen wall, grabbing the red kettle from it’s spot on the wall. Placing it under the faucet, she turned to the children with a glint of playfulness in her eyes.

“Who wants to bet the water is working?”

“I do!”

Adora and Glimmer quickly cried out, Catra following their lead a minute later. Lo and behold, with a flip upwards of the faucet handle, water began pouring out and into the kettle. This was a cause of celebration for the children, who squealed and jumped around with one another. Catra clung to Adora with the continuous cries of “ _ water, water!”,  _ to which Glimmer proudly announced their water tank that existed in the yard.

However, all three children shushed themselves as the kettle was placed on one of the stoves burners. Angella hummed, turning to them once more with a playful smile now accompanying the look in her eyes.

“And who thinks the stove will light? And...light!”

Angella didn’t wait to hear their response, flicking the dial to the side. Flames burst to light from the stove, making a small gasp of amazement from Catra.

“Pretty…”

She whispered in awe, standing just a little bit closer to the flame. Angella, just for good measure, gently pushed her back towards Adora as Glimmer launched into yet another explanation about how they had their own propane tank. It was pretty clear that Catra wasn’t interested, however, beginning her own conversation with Adora about the flames, which she lovingly called, “ _bright fishies_ ”.

Angella hummed as she gathered milk and honey from the fridge, gently shutting it with her hip before crying, “alright, everyone to the table!”

A chorus of three “ _okay!_ ”’s came from the kitchen, followed by the pitter-patter of running feet as the three children scrambled past her into the living room. Only two of them made it to the table, Adora and Glimmer planting themselves in the outer seats and leaving the middle one open for Catra, who was too busy doing an extra running lap around the couch.

“Catra, the table’s over here!”

Adora called with a laugh, quickly catching the cat’s attention as she looped around the couch and headed right for the table. She leaped onto it with a grin, holding the towel and light above her head proudly. The blonde nodded while Glimmer scoffed, pointing to her legs, and saying, “now, sit!”

Which, amazingly, she did.

Granted, she plopped down onto the seat with such a sound that it made Angella wince, and her feet with up and wiggling on the table, but she was sitting. She held the light and towel still on her head, attached with Adora’s signature red play bucket around her left wrist.

“Great! Now place your stuff down, see?”

Adora demonstrated as she placed her stuffed alicorn onto the floor, at which point Catra promptly shook her head. 

“But...you need your hands to eat!”

“Nu-uh! I’ll use  _ these!” _

Raising one of her legs proudly in the air, Catra wiggled her toes for all to see. The toes were unlike any Glimmer and Adora have ever seen, long, black claws extending outwards enough to be dangerous. She wiggled the toes around with a proud grin as Adora scrambled to get her socks and shoes off, raising her own leg in the air to examine her neatly trimmed and filed toenails.

Glimmer, however, pretended to gag and made a face similar to someone sucking on a lemon as she watched the two.

“Gross!”

“Hah?! I’ll show you gross!”

Catra exclaimed, shoving the heel of her foot in the girl's face. A small scream left Glimmer’s lips as she attempted to shove it away without actually looking at it, which instead resulted in her smacking the red bucket from Catra’s wrist and sending it flying across the room. This brought on a whole play fight that Angella was already sick of, and she hadn’t even entered the room with the tray yet.

“Alright, alright! That’s enough, or you’ll spill your drinks!”

She scolded gently as she placed the tray on the table in front of them, luckily catching Catra’s attention long enough for her to miss Glimmer’s raspberry blown in her direction. She watched with wide eyes as Angella carefully unscrewed the jar to the honey, dipping a spoon inside afterward and pulling out a nice, hefty spoonful of the golden material. A spoonful each was placed in their mugs, which were placed in front of them right after. 

As soon as Catra got hers, she watched Adora carefully. The blonde slowly stirred the honey into the drink, taking the spoon out once it had no more honey coating it. She turned to Catra, who squeaked in surprise from being caught, and smiled warmly.

“This is the best!”

She giggled, placing the dripping spoon into her mouth. Catra tilted her head to the side and glanced back at her mug. Slowly, her shoulders sagged enough for the towel to slip behind her, and the lantern was placed on the table as she grabbed the spoon. She stirred the drink a bit more forcefully than Adora, droplets of liquid splattering onto her chin and the table. 

Once she was done stirring, she yanked the spoon up and placed it in her mouth. Angella was clearly able to see her reaction, stifling a giggle with her hand as the girl's eyes widened to the largest size possible, quickly dropping the spoon on the table and hastily gulping the scalding hot drink down. And as Glimmer reprimanded her for drinking so fast, as Adora rushed into the kitchen to grab her some cool water, as the storm outside finally began to settle down, Angella had one thought.

_ Catra was a perfect addition to their family.  _


	4. day 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 4; pets.

Adora knew that Catra and Melog were connected by some emotional bond or something like that, but this was ridiculous.

Ever since they picked up the space feline, Adora had noticed just how much of a cat Catra really was. Sure, she knew about the ears and the tail and the super-fast reflexes, but Melog brought out a side of Catra she never knew existed. A side that had been repressed in their childhood, a side that was chained back by rage, a side that was finally seeing the light of day after the biggest battle of their lives.

And Adora kinda liked it.

For example, she caught the two felines stretched out over a patch of grass in Brightmoon’s garden, their tail’s lazily swinging side to side. It took all of the blonde’s willpower to not loudly coo and wake the both of them up from their sunbathing, slipping away after nearly half an hour of watching and screaming about it to anyone in the vicinity for the next half an hour.

Or how certain plants in Shadow Weaver's old garden seemed to send her girlfriend into a loopy state. The first time, Glimmer dumped her onto Adora’s bed at dusk, screaming about how she licked her arm  _ again.  _ The second time, Entrapta had her tangled in her hair and had somehow managed to drag her all over the castle before finding Adora sparring with the general. She had propped a purring Catra against her and cheerfully proclaimed,  _ “she’s just like you when you’re coming back from being infected She-ra!” _ , which had brought more questions than answers. 

Catra was a handful in that state, but it was nothing compared to her all-time favorite discovery.

This discovery was truthfully an accident. After a long day of sparring, visiting some of the solar systems other planets with Mara’s ship, and attempting to get Light Hope back online, Adora had collapsed into her bed. She almost didn’t look up when the bed was shifted beside her, only peeking at Catra, who sat with a small smirk.

“Long day?~”

“You know it.”

Catra laughed and shook her head, one of her fingers trailing over the muscles in her girlfriend's arm. Adora adjusted herself just barely, turning from her stomach onto her side to look at Catra. However, when she turned, she found that Catra was no longer staring at her, instead staring wide-eyed at a small red dot on the ground.

Melog had also found the dot and had been the first to jump at it, attempting to catch it under their paw. Catra, never one to be outdone, jumped off the bed and slammed her foot on the dot, only for it to be moved over to the wall as Adora propped herself up. She squinted at the dot, tilting her head to the side and glanced around the room. She was five seconds from leaping at it as well before her eyes landed on her wrist.

The golden bracelet that Glimmer had given her for her birthday was glimmering in the fading sunlight, but the red jewel embedded in the center was what caught her attention. The light hit it in such a way that it projected a red dot around the room, moving in time with Adora’s movements. 

Her eyes flickered back to Catra and Melog and a small grin formed on her face. ‘ _ Oh, this will be fun.’ _

She jerked her wrist to the side, sending the red dot across the room. Just as she expected, the two cats leaped over one another to try and grab it, only for the dot to be moved upwards of a pillar. Melog attempted to scale it, only to fall down with a whine, but Catra wasted no time in getting a running start and jumping onto the pillar. She quickly scaled it, reaching the dot almost before Adora had time to move it again.

The game continued for several minutes, Adora moving the dot while the two pursued it. The second they got close, it was switched to a different spot. It only ended when the sun went down low enough for the red dot to disappear, which seemed to finally break Adora. She dissolved into giggles and snorts, making both of them stare at her with wide eyes.

Catra immediately stood, her cheeks turning a cherry color as she watched Adora laugh. For a moment, nobody said anything, until she finally growled out, “don’t you  _ dare  _ tell sparkles.”

“Oh, I am  _ definitely  _ telling her.”

“Adora!”

And she may have ended up sleeping on the floor that night, but when she got a so-called “laser pointer” from Entrapta the next day, she knew it had been worth it. 


	5. day 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 5; fairy tale.
> 
> ~
> 
> This scene from Tangled was the first thing that popped into my head. I hope you all enjoy!

_ My head fucking hurts. _

It was the first thing that came to Catra’s mind as she stirred, a low groan escaping her throat. The second thing that came to her mind was a realization that something  _ wet  _ and  _ slimy  _ was squirming around in her ear. 

A high pitched scream erupted from her mouth, shoulders jerking upwards and sending whatever thing was invading her ear flying across the room. Her head whipped around rapidly, eventually landing on a white chameleon that was glaring at her from the floor. Its tongue was slowly disappearing back into its mouth and it took Catra a grand total of five seconds to figure out what happened.

“Why, you little-”

She growled, leaning forward to try and grab at him. It was only then that she realized she couldn’t move her arms, or legs, or even her  _ tail,  _ because they were all bound to the worn wooden chair by golden...hair? In any other situation, Catra would’ve laughed, maybe even tried to claw her way out, but all she could do was follow the trail of hair.

It wrapped around her chair several times before extending out over the floor and onto a dresser, from which it then went up onto a balcony onto the stairs. From there, it extended upwards into a rafter until it met the head of a young girl, probably around Catra’s age, who was clutching a frying pan and staring at her.

Once the girl realized that she had been caught, she inched a bit forwards and opened her mouth to speak.

“S-struggling is pointless!”

She tried to sound confident, upping the pitch of her voice, but all it really did was hurt Catra’s ears. She raised an eyebrow as blondie dropped from the rafter, still looming in the shadows of the stairs.

“I know why you’re here. A-and I’m not afraid of you!”

“What?”

Catra couldn’t help but snort, giving a small shake of her head. She knew a bluff when she saw one, but as the girl stepped into the light, it was the last thing on her mind.

Her eyes were bluer than any ocean Catra had ever seen and the longer she looked, the harder it was to look away. A white dress hung tight to her body, with long sleeves decorated by a golden trim at the end. The bottom part of the dress had golden swirls and gems across it, but they were fool’s gold compared to the color of her hair. 

“Who are you, and how did you find me?”

“Hm?”

Catra drawled out lazily, still taking in the sight of this beauty. A click of annoyance left her lips as she raised the frying pan higher, drawing Catra’s gaze away from her dress.

“I said, who are you-”

“Yeah, blondie, I heard you.”

The response took the stranger aback, giving Catra just enough time to collect her next thoughts.

“Look, clearly you have no clue what I’m doing here or who I am. You can call me Catra, the Greatest Thief in Etheria, but how about you? How’s your day going?~”

Silence overcame the room as the girl squinted at her, grip loosening on the frying pan’s handle just slightly. But it was quickly regripped and raised even higher when Catra yawned, revealing that she was at least smart enough to keep her guard up.

“How many others know my location,  _ Catra _ ?”

“Hey, blondie-”

“ _ Adora.” _

“Hey, Adora.”

Whether it was the way Catra said her name, purring it out with a small smirk, or the way her eyes lit up when Adora noticeably blushed that made Adora’s heart race, she couldn’t tell. But she could tell that Catra was bad news, especially when she continued talking.

“Look, I was in a situation. Running through the woods, being chased by the guards, the whole nine miles. I came across your tower, climbed in, and boom, get knocked out. So, if you would so kindly untie me and give me back my satchel that I know you took, I can be on my way.”

“Not happening.”

An annoyed sigh left Catra’s lips and, if her tail wasn’t pressed to the back of the chair, she was sure it’d be swinging by now. 

“I want to be out of your hair, literally and figuratively. So, can you  _ please  _ tell me where my satchel is?”

“I’ve hidden it! Somewhere you’ll never find it.~”

Adora sang with a smirk of victory on her own face, crossing her arms over her chest. Catra’s smirk fell into a neutral expression as her eyes fell to the floor, head eventually jerking towards a big vase next to the dresser. 

“It’s in that vase, isn’t it?”

Catra didn’t get the satisfaction of seeing Adora’s expression before the frying pan connected with her forehead, and darkness enveloped her once more. 


	6. day 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 6; Princess/Knight

“Catra-”

“Just another minute.”

Her lips were captured in a hungry kiss before she could argue further, arms slithering around her waist and pulling her close. Adora melted into the kiss, her own arms finding their way around Catra’s neck. Her back was pressed against the door of their room, faint murmurs coming from the hallway as people passed by. A deep purr left Catra’s throat, rumbling both their chests, and Adora shivered.

After yet another breathless kiss, the blonde reared her head back just enough that Catra couldn’t successfully kiss her again, instead settling for leaving small kisses and lovebites on her chin and upper neck.

“Catra...really, I have to go. Glimmer’s gonna kill me.”

“Sparkles hasn’t shown up yet, has she? She can wait a while longer.”

Catra grumbled, biting roughly into Adora’s collarbone without warning. She squeaked, her face flushing a crimson color, and shoved the girl off of her. Adora quickly rubbed at the spot, but the damage had been done, and she let out a deep sigh.  _ ‘Guess I’m going to the meeting with a mark,’  _ she thought, turning to give a small glare to her snickering lover.

“Not cool.”

“What?~ I didn’t do anything.~”

Adora huffed, tugging her red jacket closed to cover the mark just a little bit. As she turned to face the door, a hand gripped her wrist and gave a small tug. She whirled back around, lips pressed into a thin line.

“Catra, seriously!”

“Just another minute.”

Her voice was soft, the smug smirk from moments ago having disappeared into thin air. A soft look of fondness and longing was in her eyes instead, a look that made Adora’s shoulders relax, and the corners of her lips twitch upwards. Yet, she steeled herself and gently shook her head, pulling her arm away.

“Catra, we can do this later. I have an alliance meeting, remember? And you have the Knights meeting. You begged the general-”

“No, I did not!”

“ _ You begged the general,”  _ Adora continued, ignoring how her tail fluffed up in anger, “to give you a position on the Queen’s Knights, and she did. You’ve gotta take it seriously.”

“I do take it seriously!”

“So why are you not at the Knights meeting?”

Catra fell silent at that and Adora had to resist the urge to smirk at the expression on her face. Her hand gently grabbed hers once more, intertwining their fingers, giving her hand a squeeze, and smiling. Catra’s eyes flickered to their hands before looking back into Adora’s eyes, a small smile forming on her face.

“I just want to be wherever you are, my Princess…”

“I know.”

Adora whispered, pulling her close and resting their foreheads together. Catra’s eyes fell closed, a deep purr leaving from within her, and Adora’s smile only widened.

“There’s nowhere I’d rather be than with you.”

**_Bonus;_ **

“But seriously, you have the Knight’s meeting.”

“I know, I know.”

“...You do know that Micah is the one who is holding it, right?”

“...Shit.”


	7. day 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 7; scary cute

Bow really, really,  _ really  _ wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out right about now. 

He stared with wide eyes at the figure in front of him, arm stuck in its throwing position. Yellow paint dripped down their face, matting their hair together, and was spread to their hands when they attempted to wipe it away from their eyes. Glimmer stood behind them, looking stuck between horror for Bow or bursting into laughter at the figure. Her hand was curled around a red water balloon, which was slowly lowered and hidden behind her back.

“Hey, why’d you guys go- oh.  _ Oh.” _

Adora’s smirk disappeared in a matter of seconds, shuffling her body a bit backward onto Glimmer’s bed as she stared down at them. The figure slowly looked up at her, yellow and blue eyes ablaze with fury.

“I’m going to kill all of you.”

Catra snarled out, a collective flinch going through the trio. She slowly turned her body towards Bow, who froze in place. Catra’s lips turned upwards in a snarl and she took a threatening step towards him, which quickly snapped his brain out of its frozen state and made him nearly trip backward from how fast he moved.

“H-hey, Catra! We can talk about this-”

Another step.

“Really, it was meant for Glimmer-”

Another step, this time accompanied by a growl. Bow flinched, back now pressed against the wall.

“It’s just paint!”

“Just  _ paint?!” _

She screeched, grabbing at her hair and tugging.

Normally, Bow would’ve been scared out of his mind. Normally, Adora would’ve jumped down to calm Catra down and Glimmer would teleport them away.  _ Normally, Catra’s tail wasn’t poofed up and looking as soft and fluffy as a cloud. _

“I look like one of Perfuma’s flowers- hey, are you listening to me?!”

“Yes, yes, I’m sorry! You’re just so…”

The feline tensed, slowly staring at him with her teeth bared.

“Don’t you dare-”

“-cuteeeee!~”

He squealed, unable to stop it as he raised his fists to his chin and cooed. That was the final straw for Catra, her eyebrow twitching as she took a deep breath. For a moment, all was calm. For a moment, all was silent.

Then, it was instantly broken by Catra letting out a loud screech and tackling Bow.

They both fell to the ground, yellow paint splattering all around them. Adora let out an audible gasp, jumping down from the bed and racing over to the two to try and pull them off of each other. Glimmer, however, raised her arms with a cry of excitement, yelling, “Catra has joined the battle!”. Seconds later, a water balloon splattered red paint all over the three of them. Adora slipped and toppled down with them, landing besides Catra on her back with a low groan.

Glimmer stood over them all with a triumphant smirk, hands placed on her hips. It was almost too easy for Bow to pull her down, falling into a puddle of yellow on his side. The three immediately burst into giggles with Catra letting out a small grumble instead. The blonde beside her finished her giggling fit first, giving a gentle nudge to her girlfriend's side. Catra shot her a look before shaking her head, crossing her arms over her chest, and looking away from her.

“I’m gonna kill your friends.”

“Sure you are, cutie.”

Adora teased, only for yellow paint to be smeared over her lips. A small gag left her at that, kicking Catra’s leg instinctively. Only as she was trying to get the paint away from her mouth did Catra finally laugh, causing Bow and Glimmer to dissolve right back into their own laughing fits.

They’d be questioned later why the queen’s chambers were a mess, but for now, they simply laid beside one another, content smiles on their faces and joy in their hearts.


	8. day 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 8; glam
> 
> ~
> 
> Sorry for the really short chapter! I really had no clue what to write for this and settled on the first idea I had :-(

Her eyes were glued to the model as she strutted down the catwalk.

Really, could one blame her? She looked like a goddess; tanned skin that perfectly reflected the walk’s lights, freckles dancing across her nose and cheeks. Her sultry legs slid out from behind the fabric of her dress with each step, eyes trained on the camera’s in front of her with a small smile. 

Adora couldn’t care less about the name of the dress as they announced it, couldn’t care less about all the gasps and murmurs around her, no, she tuned that all out. The only thing her brain tuned in for was the name of the goddess walking towards her camera.  _ Catra.  _ A perfect name for a perfect woman.

“You know, you’re supposed to be taking pictures, I’m pretty sure.~”

“Shut  _ up,  _ Netossa.”

Adora hissed at her editor, hiding her now burning face behind the lens of her camera. She ignored how obviously red her face was, or how Netossa made yet another offhand comment, instead choosing to focus on Catra. The magenta dress twirled as she reached the end of the catwalk and turned, sending a small gasp through the crowd as the sigil on the back was revealed. It was formed with tiny diamonds on the dress’ mid back, shining in the spotlight. 

“The sigil, created by Designer Stevenson herself, means “heart”. A fitting addition to the “Forbidden Lovers line, if I do say so myself!”

The blonde lowered her camera as Catra began to walk away, the light’s following her away. A small huff left her; Glimmer was gonna kill her if any of her pictures came out blurred. Her head hung low for a moment, finger pressing down on the button as she began scrolling through the saved pictures. It was only when Netossa nudged her did she acknowledge the world around her again, shooting the other a small glare.

Netossa, smile sharp with restraint, jerked her head towards the catwalk again. Confusion must’ve been obvious on her face because the girl huffed and grabbed the scruff of Adora’s neck, twisting her to face the catwalk once more.

Catra was staring at her now, a small smirk on her face. As soon as Adora’s eyes met her own, she winked; an action that sent not only Adora’s face ablaze, but her whole heart.

She was in love, no doubt about it.


	9. day 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 9; High School
> 
> ~
> 
> Sorry that this is a day late! Got a bit held up, so two chapters today!

“Adora.~”

_ Just ignore her. _

“Hey, Adora.~”

_ You’re doing great. _

“Adora!”

_ Screw it. _

“What, Catra?”

The blonde hissed as she whirled around in her seat, a glare fixated on her face. The clock on the wall above Catra ticked softly, it’s hands slowly dragging themselves over to the next digits, and Adora had to bite her lip to hold back a groan.  _ Forty-five more minutes? Still?! _

Catra leaned back in her desk with a hum, arms crossed and feet propped up on the seat in front of her. The paper on her desk was blank, save for her name and the date, and the pencil on the floor showed just how little she cared.

“Jeez, calm down.”

“I can’t “calm down”, I’m in detention! I’ve never been in detention before. What if they kick me out? What if no college wants me and I spend the rest of my days working at Hordak’s Cookout?!”   
  


Adora grabbed her hair poof and groaned, sliding her hand down her face after a minute while her shoulders also slumped. She was only dragged out of her mind’s downward spiral of anxiety by a snort and shot yet another glare towards Catra. The teen waved her off with a smile, resting her elbow on the desk and leaning forward so her chin was in her hand.

“Calm down, blondie. I’ve been here plenty of times, and they haven’t kicked me out yet, have they?~ You’ll be fine.”

“It’s not fine, Catra! I’m supposed to be at practice right now with Lonnie- not in detention! That’s your thing! Uh, no offense.”

“None taken. What are you in for, anyway?”

Adora hesitated, looking down with a bite of her lip. She looked so serious, so  _ scared,  _ that Catra tensed up for a moment. Did Adora actually do something bad, and did she actually do it on  _ purpose?  _ Adora wasn’t like that but, then again, she was the star student. Teachers loved her, she had a huge friend group, and colleges had been watching her since her sophomore year. It was a miracle if she got a slap on the wrist for anything at all, but detention?

“...I was too rough with Kyle in the gym! How was I supposed to know that the wrestling unit would only be the basics?! And now I’m here for another forty minutes!”

Catra’s shoulders slumped. Of course, she hadn’t done anything nefarious, what a dumb thought. Still, she couldn’t help the small breath of relief that left her as Adora continued rambling about Kyle’s sprained ankle and how she felt  _ so, so bad  _ and yadda yadda. Catra zoned most of it out, finding more interest in rolling the pencil on the floor with her foot.

“What about you?”

“Hm?”

Catra looked up with a quirked brow to find Adora staring at her, almost expectantly.  _ Oh, she wants to know why I’m here. _

“I put a thumbtack on Shadow Weaver's chair.”

“Catra!”

“...and unscrewed the screws so she fell when she leaned back.”

“Oh my g-”

“And now I’m refusing to do the dumb essay on why I was wrong. That’s everything for today, I think.”

There was a look of horror on Adora’s face at the revelation, scanning Catra’s for any hints of deception. And, when she found none, she  _ laughed.  _

It was her signature giggle followed by a loud snort that made her cover her mouth, and Catra loved it. Her face heated up as she watched her, quickly throwing her hood over her head to hide the pink in her cheeks as Adora began settling down after a minute.

“T-that’s so good! God, maybe she’ll stop giving us those fifty-page tests now.”

“I doubt it. I’ll probably get a hundred pages for the next one.”

They both laughed this time, the sounds mixing together in a nice harmony. The insistent clicking of the clock was drowned out, as well as the buzzing of the fluorescent lights above and the clicking of heels disappearing down the hall.

Maybe Adora should get in trouble more often.

  
  
  



	10. day 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 10; Kiss

_ In and out. Quick and easy. I am stealth, I am nothing but a wind, and if she wakes up- _

Catra tensed as Adora mumbled something intelligible, rolling herself over to her side before she flopped back on her back, a loud snore leaving her. Melog, who was resting at the foot of her bed, stared up at Catra and let out a soft meow. It was met by a harsh “ _ shhh!”  _ that was a little too loud for Catra and caused all sounds below her to cease. She held her breath for what felt like forever before Adora finally let out a much softer snore and she could breathe again.

“I’m getting to it, okay? Stop pressuring me.”

She muttered to her pet, slowly dropping to her knees. Her hand gently brushed over Adora’s hair poof, that stupid, dumb, kinda adorable, poofy hair poof, and smoothed it as far back from her forehead as she could get without tangling her nails in it. With a deep breath, Catra leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her friend’s forehead, leaving it there for no more than a few seconds before she shot up and scrambled back.

Her eyes scanned Adora’s body for any sign of awakening, any disturbance she may have caused, ready to turn and bolt at a moment's notice. Adora’s quiet snores did little to relax her and she slowly stood to her feet, standing over her with an unknown expression on her face. Melog looked between the two for a few seconds before looking back at Catra with a small mewl.

It was ignored by the former soldier, however, as she climbed some crates next to their beds and took a seat on top. Her body curled into a ball with her knees tucked to her chest, tail swinging lazily side-to-side, and eyes holding too many emotions for anyone to try and decipher.

She could deal with stealing kisses when Adora was asleep. She could deal with being by her side as her friend and nothing more, could deal with fighting for her and her friends, could deal with keeping her feelings inside until the day she died.

But she couldn’t deal with putting her in danger anymore. 

Catra would be gone with the sunrise, her final goodbyes to Adora being in the middle of a forest before her and Melog disappeared from sight. And there’d be nothing to explain her disappearance but a few confusing words and a tingling on the blonde’s forehead. 

  
  



	11. day 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 11; Secret

“You desperately try to hide it, but you Etherians have always worn your feelings on your sleeve.”

Catra struggled against the hold of the clones, panic swelling in her chest. A sharp kick was given to the back of her knees and she hissed, falling to her knees in front of the large green pool. Horde Prime stood across from it, the ominous green glow from the pool dancing across his figure. Clones slowly moved into her line of vision to surround the rest of the pool with the two beside her slowly tightening their grip until she was sure they’d leave bruises.

She continued to struggle, even as Horde Prime hummed and raised his hand to his chin.

“I must say that I was surprised at first. From my little brother’s memories, it seemed that you and the Queen have been enemies for a long time. So, why would you suddenly help her escape?”

He mused, waving his hand away from his chin. It must’ve been a signal for the clones to begin moving, as they began dragging the feline into the pool. No matter how much Catra screamed and threw her entire weight backward, they didn’t budge, not until she was at least knee-deep into the liquid, which is when they finally stopped.

“I could pretend that it’s some mystery, a puzzle that none of us have the last piece to, but we both know why you freed Queen Glimmer.”

Her breathing was ragged as she stared up at Horde Prime. God, she wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk off his face. To leap at him and claw out his eyes, find an escape pod, and  _ leave.  _ To go home to the Fright Zone, to sleep, to be back with-

“Adora is the reason, isn’t she?”

Shit.

Every muscle in Catra’s body tensed, staring up at the leader with wide eyes. He chuckled darkly, waving his hand again. Like clockwork, the clones began moving and dragged her deeper, this time until the liquid was up to her neck and she was practically right in front of Prime. Catra struggled but the clone’s grips were too strong. She growled, whipping her hair to the side in hopes to at least momentarily blind one of them, but discovered that they were no longer next to her. Her panic dropped all the way to the bottom of her stomach as she watched the clones move to the sides of the pool. 

The liquid felt like water, smelt like nothing, but held her just as tightly as the clones did. The longer she stayed there, the less she could move, the less control she had. Even as Horde Prime stared down at her, even as she tried to muster a glare back, she could feel her knees begin to knock together. Any longer in here and she was sure her legs would give in and she’d fall into the water, and she didn’t want to know what would happen when her head went under.

“Little Brother’s memories revealed much to me about your relationship with Adora. At first, I thought it was just a friendship severed by different ideologies and nothing more, but that wouldn’t explain your actions, would it? So, I looked closer, and I discovered the little  _ secret _ that you’ve been trying to hide for years.”

No, no,  _ no.  _ Every part of Catra’s body and mind were screaming at her, a low buzz that had built itself up to a deafening roar. Nobody knew, nobody understood, nobody  _ cared  _ for how she felt for Adora. Her knees began shaking more and more and, from the corner of her eyes, she saw the clones begin to move in again.

“You love Adora and, no matter how much you want to hide it, no matter how much you want to suppress or get rid of it, your love for her will always be there.”

He mused as the clones grabbed her arms, dragging her downwards into the pool. She took a deep breath as the liquid crossed her chin and eventually her mouth and nose. Her ears twitched as Prime chuckled, staring up at him as her eyes went under.

“I wonder if she’ll come for you. I sure hope she does; I want to meet the girl who has the undivided attention of my little sister.”

It was the last thing she heard before she went completely under, body completely paralyzed and held down by clones. She could only hold her breath for so long before her lungs ached and her throat burned, finally opening her mouth and sucking her wave after wave of the green liquid.

Black dots danced in her vision as she weakly looked around, looked for anyway out, anyway to escape. But, of course, it was useless, just like everything she ever tried and did. As the last of the green in her vision gave away to black, she had but one thought.

_ Don’t come for me, Adora. _


	12. day 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 12; Vintage

“Come on, Catra!”

“Absolutely not.”

Glimmer let out an exasperated sigh, turning to Bow with a gesture of  _ “you wanna help me here?”.  _ In what was probably the smartest move of the day, Bow raised his hands in mock surrender and disappeared into a different section of the thrift store. Glimmer huffed and lowered her hands to her hips, giving a small glare to Catra, who merely stuck her tongue out.

“Fine, you win this time. But I’ll get you in that sweater next time we come!”

“I’d like to see you try, Sparkles.”

Glimmer turned and stomped away after Bow after that and Catra turned her head, raising an eyebrow as she saw the curtain to the changing room ruffle a bit.

“Are you almost done in there?”

“Stop rushing me, Catra! And stop fighting with Glimmer, I can  _ hear  _ you, y’know!”

Catra grumbled slightly, but otherwise dropped it. There was a bit more rustling and some exasperated sighs that came from the curtain, but it finally slid open after a moment. Adora stepped out with a large grin plastered on her face, doing a small twirl around. Catra perked up, eyes trailing over her outfit. Her bottom half wore some old and faded mom jeans with her regular black gym shoes, while her top was a nice blue blouse tucked into said jeans and held there by a black belt. Finally, to top it off, she wore a black leather jacket.

Needless to say, Catra doubled over laughing.

The smile quickly disappeared as Adora sighed, leaning against the wall. She watched her girlfriend laugh and snort, let her get it all out now so when they talked, she could just get an opinion. At least Catra was cute while laughing, even if it was at her expense.

After a solid five minutes of giggling and just generally losing her shit, Catra finally stood and wiped some tears from her eyes. 

“Ah- that’s good, that felt good. Now, for the critique.”

She stood up straight and Adora held her breath.

“You look like a disaster.” 

“Hey!”

“What, I’m being honest! Your pants make you look like Perfuma’s mom, your blouse screams that you’re ready for church, and that jacket gives off the vibe off that one Crimson Waste party that Scorpia and I went to.”

“I thought it looked nice! Y’know, like vintage or something!”

She pouted and Catra hummed, walking over to her. Her fingers gently pinched the fabric of the jacket as she pressed a chaste kiss to the blonde’s lips, pulling away after a moment to grab her hand.

“You and I have two very different opinions on “vintage”.But if you’re gonna get anything, go for the blouse. Without the rest of this fashion disaster, it looks good on you!”

“ _ Hey!” _

“You asked for honesty when you go shopping. Now, c’mon, I wanna show you the tiny gargoyle statue I found!”

Adora would roll her eyes at Catra’s antics, but followed happily along anyways, content as they drifted through the warm walls of the store.


	13. day 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 13; Scars
> 
> ~
> 
> we can ALL take an educated guess on where this chapter is gonna go. but on another note, this is probably the favorite prompt I've written for all month so far, so I hope you all enjoy!

“Ah, I haven’t been here in so long! This is gonna feel so good.”

Catra nodded mutely, eyeing the hot water warily. The steam rose up and surrounded her, matting her hair to the back of her neck already and causing her to breathe unnecessarily hard. Adora seemed to have little trouble as she weaved between the small pools, eventually reaching one that was right against the wall. She dipped her toe into the water for a moment, kicking and swirling it around, before taking it out and waving Catra over with a grin.

“This one’s good! C’mon!”

“I don’t know, Adora…”

“It’s shallow, I promise! You can always climb out.”

Catra’s face scrunched up, her eyes only flickering away from the water when Adora undid the fluffy white robe. It slid off her shoulders and she caught it before it hit the ground, resting it on a bench beside the pool. Lavender fabric covered her chest and lower regions, wrapping around her lower waist while the upper fabric hugged her muscles nicely. But that wasn’t what Catra was focused on.

The fabric hid the upper half of them, but the lower half of two jagged scars going down her back was on full display for her. The skin was discolored as they went about midway down her back, stopping right before the fabric on Adora’s lower half could cover them. Other scratches and old scuff marks surrounded them, but nothing caught her attention like those two. After all, she’d have to be a fool to not remember how they got there, or, rather,  _ who  _ put them there.

_ ‘That was me’,  _ were the words that crossed her mind a moment later, eyes settling on the ground. Guilt that she thought she had gotten rid of, though she had  _ handled,  _ was resurfacing all too quickly. Her tail wrapped around her waist and she hugged her robe tighter around herself, sucking in air quickly. This was not the time for this, not when they were going to have a good, calm,  _ relaxing  _ day in the Mystacor Springs.  _ ‘Pull yourself together!’ _

Adora, unaware of Catra’s internal struggle, turned to face her and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. Maybe forcing Catra into the water was a bad idea, especially considering her most recent... _ experiences  _ with it.

“You don’t have to if you don’t-”

“It’s fine, let’s just go in.”

She was cut off as Catra grumbled and stepped into the water, sinking up to her chin. The robe soaked up some water around her, floating for a moment before she angrily pushed the fabric down and under her to sit on it. If her tone of voice and thrashing tail weren’t indicators of something being wrong, that action definitely was.

Cautiously, Adora dropped into the pool beside her, scooting over so their legs were touching. Catra didn’t move away, but she made no move to look the blonde in the eyes or grab her hand. They sat in silence for a few moments, no sound except for the occasional splash when Catra’s tail collided over and over with the water. Finally, after several minutes, Adora opened her mouth.

“So...should I ask what’s wrong, or…?”

“You wouldn’t get it.”

Catra scoffed, falling silent right after and then letting out a low groan. It was her default answer, something she was so used to saying, something she was still learning not to say because if anyone would understand, it  _ would  _ be Adora. Quickly, before her girlfriend could speak again, she held up her hand to stop her.

“Yes, yes, I know you know. It’s my thing, you know that.”

“I know. You’re doing great, though!”

Catra let out a low hum of acknowledgment but otherwise stayed silent again. Adora deflated, biting her lip as she tried to rack her brain for what could’ve set her off. Luckily, she didn’t have to rack it for long before Catra sighed and sunk even lower into the water, her mouth almost covered by the water.

“Your back.”

“My back? What about it?”

If Catra wasn’t feeling so shitty, she probably would’ve shoved her and called her a dummy. Instead, she just let her head fall onto Adora’s shoulder, which, in a way, was more worrying to the blonde. A deep sigh left her mouth at the contact, nestling her face into the crook of Adora’s neck. It was a small act of affection, but it did loads more to relax her than the hot water surrounding her.

“The scars, Adora.”

A beat of silence followed, ending only with a sharp intake of air from Adora as the pieces finally clicked.

“Oh,” she breathed out afterward, a small nod coming from her girlfriend. Her hand moved from beside her to quickly grab Catra’s, who happily let her intertwine their fingers. However, she not-so-happily let herself be moved as Adora turned herself to look into Catra’s eyes. Her free hand cupped her cheek and gently raised her gaze from the water, a new shade of blue entering her vision. This blue had worry and hints of sadness lingering in them as opposed to the blue of the water, and she found herself desperately wanting to avoid the conversation that was sure to follow.

“Catra, that was a long time ago. We...we both did things we weren’t proud of, okay? But it's in the past now.”

Catra wished she could believe it. A bubbled laugh that sounded a bit too hoarse for her liking escaped her throat and she stubbornly shook her head.

“Yeah, but it’s not. I tried to  _ kill  _ you, that’s not exactly something you gloss over.”

“And I tried to kill you when I went on a rampage as Shera, but I don’t see you asking about it.”

Dammit, of course she had a counter-argument for that. In all honesty, corrupted Shera was such a small incident in the grand scheme of things that had happened to her in her life.  _ ‘Wow, maybe I do need therapy.’ _

“The point is,” Adora continued, gently pushing the topic forward,” we all have done things we weren’t proud of. You attacked and tried to kill me, I attacked and tried to kill you. Glimmer almost self-destructed the entire planet, Entrapta switched sides so many times I lost count, Bow....okay, I can’t really think of anything that drastic for Bow, but you get the point!”

A small snort escaped her and Adora smiled, counting it as a personal victory. She leaned forward to press her forehead against Catra’s, her smile only growing as a low purr escaped her girlfriend's throat, her tail finally falling still in the water.

“You regret it now, and you’ve apologized. And I forgive you. We wouldn’t be where we are if I hadn’t forgiven you for every single thing, wouldn’t be where we’re going. We’ve got so much good ahead of us, Catra, let’s focus on that, okay?”

“Wow, when did you get so wise?~”

“Hm, somewhere between being exposed to a lot of traumatic events at a young age and saving the universe, I suppose.~”

That sentence brought out a full-on laughing fit from Catra, leaning away slightly as she struggled to catch her breath between her giggles and the hot air. Adora didn’t hesitate to chase after her lips, capturing them in a sweet kiss the second the opportunity presented itself. Catra eagerly kissed back, another low purr leaving her throat and rumbling through her chest.

They separated after a moment, a warm smile on Adora’s face that Catra could slowly find herself mimicking.

“I love you, Catra.”

She leaned in again, taking another soft kiss. This elicited a small snort from the cat, who shoved her away playfully but quickly contradicted her actions by pressing their foreheads together once more. She adored this dork.  _ ‘We have so much to do together.’ _

“I love you too, Adora.”


	14. day 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 14; Cuddles

The room was silent, save for the calm breaths coming from the large bed in the middle of the room. Light from the early morning sky slipped in through cracks in the blinds, a small breeze brushing them aside to make way for a larger ray of light to enter the room after a moment. The light slipped across the cold floor and onto the bed, landing right across the closed eyes of a certain blonde.

Her eyebrows furrowed together as the light only grew brighter as the sun continued to rise, fluttering open after a few minutes of torment. A low groan left her lips, a hand coming up to rub the sleep away from her eyes. She quickly ducked her head down and out of the way of the light, staring at the sleeping face beside her.

Catra took in deep breaths before slowly releasing them, the occasional small purr heard in her exhales. The hair around her face was messily ruffled from shifting all over in her sleep and her legs stayed tangled with Adora's, her tail wrapped around her left ankle. If her eyes traveled even further down, she’d see Melog at the edge of their bed, eyes closed and peacefully asleep and they faced away from the two.

A small smile appeared on Adora’s face and she sighed lovingly, watching her girlfriend with a fond gaze. After so long, she was glad that they could finally have something as simple as laying in bed beside each other, sleeping in, curled up in one another’s arms. 

But Adora did have a schedule to maintain.

So, after stretching her legs enough for her toes to give Melog’s back a little tickle, she shifted into sitting up on the side of the bed. No sooner did her weight begin to shift off the bed did the blankets shift beside her and a hand was weakly grasping her wrist.

“Adora, go back to sleep…”

“Can’t, Catra. I gotta go train.”

She whispered gently, fingers slipping under her lover’s to pry herself free. Catra merely groaned and shifted closer, her tail coming to life and lazily swishing side to side.

“Train for  _ what?  _ There’s nothing to fight anymore…”

She sleepily grumbled, refusing to open her eyes yet. She used her sense of touch instead, latching right back onto Adora’s wrist with a tighter grip than before. She wasn’t moved this time, mostly because she had a point. The memories came flooding back at the mention of her words and with them, the aching soreness that covered her body the night before. Yesterday, they had defeated Horde Prime. Yesterday, they saved Etheria and reunited with everybody that had been separated from them. Yesterday, they celebrated into the latest hour of the night and Adora had clocked out the moment her head hit the pillow.

There really was no reason to train, was there?

“I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right. Now get back in bed.”

Catra gave a tug to her wrist and Adora didn’t hesitate to follow, laying back down beside her. She shifted herself until her body was comfortable enough with the position to stop aching every few seconds, a sigh of relief leaving her. Catra curled right back up to her side, tangling their legs together yet again and purring the moment she buried her face in Adora’s neck.

“Save the waking up early and putting the universe back together for tomorrow.”

For once, Adora listened and nodded. Her arms wrapped around Catra’s waist and pulled her as close as she could, relishing in the touch of her body. They had all the time in the world to fix what needed to be fixed  _ later. _

But for now…

“G’night, Catra.”

“Goodnight, Adora.”

With the sun illuminating the wall behind their bed, Adora drifted back into a well needed and well-deserved sleep.


	15. day 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 15; In Battle

It certainly wasn’t the first time they fought.

It was obvious as they each danced around one another’s swipes and blows, skills honed by years of experience from the Horde. The harsh screeching as her sword against the jagged red cliffs of the badlands nearly hid Catra’s run-up from behind her. Luckily, Adora sidestepped right in time to avoid a full-on collision with Catra’s claws, settling for a quick swipe across her arm instead. 

Adora knew Catra; knew what she was comfortable with, knew her tricks and plays, knew how her attacks came. She was never one to hold back in battle, that much was shone as her claws collided with pure rock, yet didn’t halt her movements in the slightest. Catra’s attacks were fast, hard to calculate, and even harder to block. But they were also her downfall.

The blonde grunted as yet another punch from the horde officer in front of her met her cheek, tasting blood under her tongue. She staggered backward as Catra came for yet another run-up, fist changed into an outstretched hand with razor-sharp claws shining under the bright sun. Allowing Catra to gain momentum and land a hit was a foolish, perhaps even  _ fatal,  _ move. Which is why Adora only allowed her to get one, leaping to the side as soon as it was clear that Catra wouldn’t be able to stop.

The brunette’s eyes widened as she quickly dug her heels into the soil, but it did little to prevent the inevitable. A horrifying cracking sound rang through the area as her face collided with the stone, blood gushing from her nose as she stumbled backward, her hand coming up to gently touch at the area. She turned and glared at the girl behind her, mouth settling into a scowl.

Unfortunately for Adora, Catra knew her as well.

Catra leaped away as Adora swung again after a moment, hitting the area of the cliff that Catra had just run into. She leapt backward and, of course, Adora followed her. Adora, who, as  _ Shera,  _ packed one of the biggest punches she’s ever felt, but was also the slowest mover of the rebellion due to her size. Adora, who, without  _ Shera,  _ was still too incompetent to go all-in for battles.

That included striking the finishing blow, an act she hesitated on even when the opportunity was right in front of her. Such as Catra’s back hitting the wall, the realization that she was trapped from  _ all sides  _ sinking in as she did. Her eyes darted around before settling on Adora, bruised, scraped, cut  _ Adora,  _ who raised her sword above her head.

Catra would’ve been scared if it was anyone besides Adora.

A small smirk appeared on Catra’s face. She knew Adora. The girl rushed forward and shoved her aside, ignoring the small yelp of surprise as her back met the cliff wall. Catra wasted no time in hosting herself up and over the rocky cliffs, disappearing over the top without so much as a glance back to the girl below her.

It wasn’t the first time they fought and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. 

But as Adora slid down the wall, sword clattering to the ground, she wondered if it would ever hurt any less.


	16. day 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 16; Dancing

“Woah…”

Adora’s eyes stared upwards in amazement, a childlike wonder visible in her blue hues. Vibrant red flowers sprung outwards from the moss-covered walls, traveling upwards until they reached the black garnet. The gemstone was suspended in the air within four sturdy roots wrapped around its middle, casting an almost ominous red glow onto the dance floor and guests below.

“So, you gonna stand there, or?”

The blonde was snapped out of it by a nudge to her arm, turning her head towards her date. Catra pushed her ponytail over her shoulder with a hum, turning away from her gaze after a minute to do a scan of the room herself.

“Weird to think how a little over a year ago, a good chunk of this place was destroyed, huh?”

“Yeah...if we hadn’t lived here all our lives, I wouldn’t have even known this was the Fright Zone.”

Adora whispered, watching a pair of guests walk past them with wide smiles and loud giggles. She never would’ve thought that the Fright Zone could be the center of something so  _ good.  _ Her heart swelled at the thought, taking in a sharp inhale of air.

Catra glanced at her date and, deciding it was far too early into the night for her to start getting emotional, nudged her arm yet again and began walking. She didn’t have to look back to see if Adora was following her as she crossed the marble dance floor and paused in front of two thrones, a low hum leaving her.

“Catra! Adora! Gosh, I’m so glad you two could make it!”

Scorpia squealed as soon as she heard Catra’s hum, jumping out of her throne and scaring the poor attendant beside her half to death. Adora quickly yanked Catra’s arm down and pushed her back into a bow, ignoring her low grumble of defiance, rising again a few moments later. It was obvious that Scorpia, despite having a line of people before them bowing to her, still had no clue what to say or do. 

Luckily, the princess in the throne beside her did.

“Thank you for your respectful greeting. We humbly welcome you to the Fright Zone.”

Perfuma hummed, slipping her arm in between her wife’s and nestling up to her side. This seemed to snap Scorpia out of her flustered trance and quickly nodded, giving a bright smile to her friends. 

“We’re glad to be here. The place looks amazing, Scorpia.”

“I know! Perfuma really went all out for this. Frosta helped with a good chunk of the planning too! I kinda felt bad since we crashed her Princess Prom, y’know-”

Scorpia’s rambling was cut off by a small trumpet playing through the area. It made Adora and Catra raise their eyebrows and Perfuma giggle, but Scorpia looked ecstatic. She wasted no time in giving a gentle shove with her pincers to her friends' sides, pushing them back towards the dancefloor.

“Scorpia, what-?”

“Shush, no more formalities or questions, the first dance is starting! We’ll see you on the dance floor when I’m done with  _ this!” _

Scorpia paused at the edge of the steel floor, pushing her friends onto the marble floor as her attendant finally caught up to them. Adora didn’t miss the low groan that left her mouth as she was dragged back to her throne, her eyes trailing down the line of guests that had yet to greet the princess. Catra let out a small snort from beside her, her hand finding Adora’s and giving her a small tug towards the center of the floor.

Adora let herself be dragged along, vaguely registering the sound of music beginning to filter in as Catra guided her into dancing position. One arm tucked behind each of their backs, their free hands placed against one another. The last time they did this, they had been at each other's throats less than fifteen minutes later. Adora shivered as they finished the first circle around each other; the sense of deja vu definitely wasn’t welcome.

Their dance with one another lasted for less than three minutes before the trumpet blared again and they had to switch, touches lingering on one another as they moved in opposite directions. Catra’s gaze never left her lover, cursing the first dance for being so  _ weird  _ when a hand slipped into her own and the person spun them both around the dance floor, eliciting a small scream of surprise from Catra.

“Catra!”

Entrapta squealed as they finally stopped spinning, her hands gripping Catra’s in a death grip. She grinned brightly up at the girl before her hair wrapped around her midsection- a “hug” of sorts. Catra, albeit begrudgingly from being spun around so suddenly, hugged back and pulled away only when the music started up again.

“Hey, Entrapta. Enjoying yourself?”

“Oh, yes! Did you know that there was a nearly 45% increase in happiness from the last Princess Prom to this one?!”

Catra had to bite back a sarcastic remark as she dipped the smaller princess about how, y’know,  _ saving the world and getting rid of the Horde once and for all  _ would do that for people, instead giving a small nod. Entrapta began blabbering on about some science experiment or a new invention, something of the sort, but Catra really didn’t care. She let out a few small hums of agreement ever so often to keep the princess pleased, her eyes landing on a very uncomfortable Hordak a few spots away. His movements were stiff as he danced with Castaspella, who didn’t look thrilled either.

Catra stored away the memory for later, knowing Adora would get an absolute kick out of it. 

Three minutes passed relatively quickly and before she knew it, Entrapta was pulling her into another hug before disappearing towards her next partner. Catra watched her walk away before turning to her next partner, tensing up as she saw who it was.

Netossa narrowed her eyes at the feline, one hand on her hip and the other extended out towards her. Catra’s eyes flickered from her face to her hand and then back to her face, only taking it when it was shoved towards her. She was met with a death grip that squeezed her hand to the point right below it becoming painful, a low hiss leaving her. She would’ve excused it if it wasn’t for the smirk that danced across her partner’s face, a clear giveaway that the grip was intentional. Catra narrowed her eyes, deicing to squeeze back just as harshly as the music began to play.

“Pft- Adora, look at Catra and Netossa-!”

Glimmer wheezed, nearly doubling over in their dance. The blonde raised an eyebrow as dread settled in her stomach because god, that was  _ not  _ a good combination. She spun Adora around so she could get a clear view of the two. It didn’t take her long to lock onto the two from across the dancefloor, her lips curling upwards as she watched their odd display.

They twirled and danced around the other couples almost aggressively, huge smirks across their lips. Catra’s tail lashed out and smacked Netossa’s leg, Netossa stepped on Catra’s foot, they both nearly collided with Bow and Mermista, and neither made any signs of slowing down as they spun across the dancefloor. She could see their mouths moving, the occasional change of expression as they spun past other pairs, but they were too far for anything to be heard.

A low sigh from beside her made her turn her head to face Spinnerella, who was also watching from beside them. The princess met Adora’s eyes and gave a hopeless shrug before turning to Lonnie and whispering a small apology, to which the former merely shrugged and let go of her hands. She extended a hand towards Glimmer, who seemed to take the hint and switched early as the other pair grew closer and closer.

Spinnerella paused beside Adora and took in a sharp inhale, placing her arms in front of her.

“I’ll grab Netossa, you get Catra. I’m so sorry in advance because I know this was most likely Netossa-”

“No, no, you’d actually be amazed by Catra’s power to start fights with people.”

The warrior waved it off with a grin, but it seemed to do little from Spinnerella, who shrugged and muttered something about giving her wife an earful when she grabbed her. Which, by the way they were currently two couples away, seemed to be soon.

As they got close enough, Adora could finally make out some of the jabs they were throwing at each other and sighed. Yeah, there was no way this  _ wasn’t  _ Catra’s fault.

“See? I’m the better dancer here, kitty cat.”

“Gripping my hands until they turn white doesn’t magically make you the best, sorry to break it to you.~”

“Really?”

Spinnerella whispered, almost in awe from just how  _ stupid  _ this “argument” was. She quickly shook it from her mind as the two moved past Frosta and Huntara, leaping out and wrapping her arms around Netossa’s waist. Adora moved along with her and grabbed Catra’s arms, managing to separate the two with a little bit of tugging and threats of sleeping on the floor for the rest of the week. Catra begrudgingly let go of Netossa’s hands, but not before giving one final kick to the princess's ankle. A squawk of surprise left her as she went to kick back but was instead dragged off by Spinnerlla, a low huff of annoyance leaving her as she passed Adora and disappearing into the sea of onlookers with her pouting wife.

Adora turned to face her own girlfriend with a raised brow, to which Catra merely scoffed and looked away.

“What? She started it.”

“Somehow, I doubt that.”

“Hey!”

A small shove was her response, but Adora was too busy laughing at the combination of Catra’s tail fluffing up from anger and the way her face turned the same shade of red as a strawberry. Catra huffed and crossed her arms over her chest watching her lover laugh with a raised brow. Every time the blond went to try and catch her breath, however, a single glance at Catra’s face would send her howling all over again. 

Another huff left Catra’s lips, but this time, they turned upwards as Adora placed her hands on her knees, wheezing so hard that Lonnie and Frosta both looked over in worry.

And as the trumpet blared again, neither bothered to step aside from the other, Catra finding one of Adora’s hands and raising it. She placed a gentle kiss to her knuckles which brought about abrupt silence from the blonde.

“There we go.”

“Oh, be quiet. Instead, why don’t you prove to me that you’re the  _ ‘better dancer’,  _ huh?~”

She raised her hand again, tucking her arm behind her back. Catra’s smile only widened to a grin at the challenging smirk that plagued her girlfriend’s lips and raised her hand to meet Adora’s, intertwining them as soon as they met.

“I will.~”


	17. day 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 17; Date

“Are we almost there yet?”

“For the last time,  _ yes.  _ Now, be quiet and keep walking.”

Her finger picked at the cloth around her eyes, lifting it up just enough to see the ground. The tangled roots growing over the base of the trees was a dead giveaway that they were in the Whispering Woods, but before she could see anything further, her hand was swatted away by Catra. A small huff left her; they had been walking for at least half an hour at this point and Catra still refused to let her see where they were going.

‘ _ This better be good,’  _ the warrior thought, stumbling as her foot was caught on a root, ‘ _ very, very good.’ _

They came to an abrupt stop soon after. Catra stopped so suddenly that Adora nearly collided with her back, balancing herself just barely to keep them both from toppling over. She heard shuffling from in front of her as Catra began to move, her hand slipping out of her own. For a moment, Adora panicked. What if Catra left her there? It wouldn’t be beyond her to pull a mean prank like that and leave Adora to find her own way out, but she wouldn’t do that, right? Not today,  _ right? _

There was a small tug to her cloth and light filled her vision a moment later as the cloth fell away. She blinked a few times, squinting to get used to the sudden brightness. It took her eyes a few seconds to adjust, but she quickly got over herself and took in the sight around her, mouth agape.

The area of the woods they were in was surrounded by large trees with trunks that blocked them in from most sides. Vibrant flowers poked out from around her and tickled her ankles, reaching upwards towards the small rays of sunlight that shone through the treetops. In the middle of the area was a red and white checkered blanket, held down on its four corners by small piles of stone and rocks. In the center was a wooden basket with a handle decorated with bright yellow and red flowers, going all around to meet the red ribbons hanging on either side of the basket. 

Catra stepped into her view a moment later. Her tail was wrapped around her waist, a telltale sign that she was nervous, and her right hand rubbed her wrist nervously. Her ears twitched as Adora inhaled sharply, looking up at her and then almost immediately away again.

“Happy anniversary, Adora. It took me forever to find this place and like, a week of watching to make sure it’d still be here when today came, so you better appreciate it.”

She huffed, looking back at her girlfriend with her chin tilted upwards and, god, did she instantly regret it. Adora’s eyes were wider than she’d ever seen before and sparkling like the sun hitting the ocean. Her gaze was fixated on Catra, even as she shifted left and right, and it made Catra’s face explode in red. She quickly looked down and away again, which prompted Adora to tackle her in a hug.

“I love it! You did all of this for me, for  _ us?!  _ I love you so much, Catra!”

The blonde all but wailed into Catra’s neck, quickly pulling away to look into her eyes with a small sniffle. Catra hummed and gave a small pat to her shoulder, her arm falling around her waist and dragging her staggering figure towards the blanket.

“I love you too. Now come on, I didn’t plan all of this for you to just stare at it.”

She laughed, taking a seat beside the basket. Adora sat in front of her, wiping her eyes free from tears as Catra flipped open the basket’s lid and began emptying the contents. She pulled out some sandwiches, different assortments of cheese, several tiny cakes, and a few fizzy beverages. They were all placed in front of Adora with a small hum, her tail flicking out from her waist.

“Entrapta made the tiny cakes and the cheese is from Elberon. I think you can guess that Perfuma made the basket and Sparkles’ weird aunt made the sandwiches, I bought the drinks, though. That was all me.”

She puffed out her chest with such pride that it made Adora wheeze, holding her side as loud giggles escaped her, a few snorts mixing in as well. Her girlfriend watched her with a fond smile, too wrapped up in the moment to care about the food at all. Adora was beautiful on her own, but when she was laughing? Nothing could ever compete with her beauty then.

Her hand lingered inside the basket for a moment more, two fingers wrapping around a small box that had been hidden under the sandwiches. They hesitated on it for a moment before pushing it further into the shadows of the box, pulling her hand out and closing the lid after. She pretended her hand wasn’t shaking as she handed Adora one of the bottles, pretended that her smile wasn’t a little too nervous as they cheered and wrapped their arms around each other to take a sip from the other’s drinks, pretended her worry wasn’t infesting her heart.

_ ‘But,’  _ she thought as Adora jumped into a rant on her latest training session,  _ ‘there’s no way she’d say no.’ _

A small smile tugged at her lips as Adora threw her hands up, splashing some of their drink over herself and Catra. They both stared at each other for a moment before dissolving into a fit of giggles, which only further dissolved into howls of laughter as Catra shook her hair wildly and sent liquid flying everywhere. When Adora looked at her with tears of laughter streaming down her face, as she leaned into Catra’s touch when she brushed them gently away with her thumb, and she saw the fondness and adoration and  _ love  _ in those blue hues, Catra knew.

This dork loved her too much to ever say no.


	18. day 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 18; Tears
> 
> ~
> 
> This is an accompanying piece to Day 17; Date, so I suggest reading that one first if you haven't!

It was now or never.

The drinks had been guzzled down, the food had been devoured, and the last tiny cake was minutes away from being consumed. Still, none of the food had settled Catra’s stomach enough for what was to come. Even with the knowledge that there was no way Adora would deny her, a persistent worry covered her body, all the way from her tingly toes to her sweaty hands. She squeezed the velvet box inside the basket tighter as if it would soak up the sweat on her palms, but it only made it worse.

Mentally, she sighed. This was no time to panic, no time to mess up, and even if she did, it wasn’t like that’d completely ruin all her chances with Adora. After all, she nearly ended the world at _ least  _ three times, as well as beating her lover and her friends into the dirt ( _ a shudder goes through her at the memory of claws slashing through flesh, one she definitely doesn’t need in her mind right now),  _ and Adora was still with her.

“Adora.”

Her voice came out a little too croaky for her liking and she cringed inward as the blonde raised an eyebrow at her, tilting her head to the side. She had her undivided attention- whether it was a good thing or bad thing, Catra had yet to decide. 

Her mouth felt dryer than the Crimson Waste and the wall of trees seemed to grow closer with every shuddering breath, squeezing the box yet again. ‘ _ Focus, focus! Come on, Catra, don’t make a fool outta yourself now,’  _ she reprimanded herself harshly, swallowing the dry lump in her throat and opening her mouth to speak.

“Y-you’re really important to me, y’know? All...all those times I almost lost you, or  _ did  _ lose you, I was so fucking scared.”

She admitted, hanging her head. The words were flowing easier and easier with each passing syllable, but it did little to ease the anxiety in her heart. In fact, she was sure that it was adding to it.

“And when Sparkles was beamed into that ship, I knew you’d come to save her and I knew that I’d lose you for good. And I just...I couldn’t handle that thought.”

A bitter laugh left her throat, biting her lip harshly immediately after. God, what was she doing? This was supposed to be a proposal, not a therapy session. Yet, when Adora’s hand gently gripped her free one and squeezed, urging her to continue, she knew she was already too deep to even think of stopping.

“I guess what I’m saying is...I never want to lose you ever again. I love you too much to let you go again and I’ll do everything I can to continue to exist by your side....”

She whispered softly, yanking her hand from the basket. She almost accidentally flung the box across the clearing but her nails gripped the side not a second too late to steady it and pop the box open, revealing the beauty that lay inside. It was a simple golden band all the way around until the top, where a ruby and sapphire sat beside one another with two small diamonds on either side. Her mind registered the audible gasp from her lover, but she didn’t pause to make sure she was okay, not yet.

If she didn’t ask now, the question would never leave her.

“Adora, Shera, honorary princess, biggest goofball idiot, and the bestest friend I’ve ever had...will you marry me?”

She finally looked up, a nervous glint in her eyes as she held out the box. Excitement, joy, maybe even some fear- she was expecting all of those.

But not tears.

Catra almost dropped the ring from how fast she did a double-take as fat tears rolled down her lover’s face, dripping onto her pants and the picnic cover below. She made a futile effort to wipe them away but they kept coming. Combining that with the way her mouth babbled open and closed with little to no sounds leaving her, she looked like a troubled baby. 

And Catra was sure she looked terrified.

“T-this is a good thing, if you weren’t sure! I asked Micah all about it- h-hey, you can say no! It’s only been a year, we still haven’t repaired Etheria all the way yet and Glimmer w-wants to have you oversee the towns as they rebuild and stuff-”

Her mouth just wouldn’t stop, tail twitching and hands waving with no sense of where to go. She was sure she looked hilarious and most likely like one of Entrapta’s failed bots, but all her mind focused on was Adora. The blonde had only seemed to cry  _ harder  _ at her suggesting saying no, to which her hands shakily grabbed Catra’s wrist and  _ yanked  _ her into a hug.

She buried her face into the crook of Catra’s neck, a wet laugh leaving her as her nose nuzzled against the skin. Catra shivered at the sensation but didn’t dare push her away. That was, until she heard one simple word. It was shaky, and quiet, and was almost overpowered by the sobs that followed, but it had been said.

_ Yes. _

“What?”

“I...I said y-yes, you...you dork!”

Adora sobbed, wiping at her eyes again as she mustered a weak smile. She took a few shaky breaths before she held her hand out to Catra, who was still frozen in place.

“I me-mean it. I’m just so...so...s-so.... _ happy,  _ Catra.”

‘ _ Oh my god,’  _ was the first thought as the tension left her body so fast that she was sure she visibly deflated. A small laugh that sounded much more like a bark left her as she shook her head, plucking the ring from the box and steadying Adora’s shaking ring finger.

“God, d'ya know how much you scared me, you dork? I hate seeing you cry.”

She huffed, sliding the ring all the way to the base of her finger. It fit snugly, just as Catra had known it would. As soon as it was situated, she didn’t hesitate to bring her fiancée in to gently bump their forehead together. A loud purr left her at the content, her tail sneaking around to tickle Adora’s wrist.

“But...I guess this is the one time I’ll allow it.”

Adora kissed her so long after that, she swore she saw stars after that. And when they returned to Bright Moon, Adora had no problem flaunting the ring to everyone she saw. 

“ _ See this?”  _

She’d say, smile overtaking her face.

_ “This is from my  _ **_fiancée!”_ **

Catra could get used to hearing that.


	19. day 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 19; Hand Holding

It was corny to say, but Catra’s hand fit perfectly in hers.

There was never a time when their hands didn’t fit perfectly, not in Adora’s memory. When they were young, the comfort she felt as Catra slid her hand into hers was immeasurable. The way she’d curl her fingers around Adora’s pale wrist and gently tug, just enough to get her attention, before sliding her fingers down and lacing them together. Discreet enough so Catra felt no embarrassment, but equally as obvious when anyone saw Adora’s huge grin, the gap between her teeth clear as day. 

It got them in trouble a lot during their Horde days. The way Shadow Weaver’s icy grip would crush their wrists, yanking them apart. The way she’d hiss that this was a sign of  _ weakness, what if it was Hordak who saw them instead, the princesses would easily defeat them if they continued this.  _ It usually fell on deaf ears until they reached their preteen years and real training began, along with real punishments. But oh, not for her. It was never her who was led away by Shadow Weaver, never her who disappeared for days at a time under the guise of being “sick”, never her who returned to curl up on the foot of her best friend’s bed late at night and cry when she was sure she was asleep.

It was during these years that the feeling of Catra’s hand sliding into hers became a distant memory before it became an entirely foreign feeling. Where Catra would look exhausted and swat her hand away when she made any attempts at a grab, where her eyes would dart around the room nervously after, where she’d pull in on herself just a little bit more and nothing Adora said or did would ever coax her hand holding habit out again.

But foreign did not mean unwelcome. 

Adora chased any touches of their hands, the gentle bumps, the lingering brushes of their knuckles, the small pinky promises they’d make under the thin blanket of their shared bed. None of it ever compared to feeling Catra’s hand in hers, but as long as she could get even the faintest slice of that emotion, the satisfaction of their hands falling perfectly together like two halves of the same whole, it was enough.

As the years wore on, their bodies changed, as well as their views. While Adora’s tooth gap closed, her view of the world slowly became broader, while Catra grew taller, her fuse only burned shorter. The day she found the sword, the day she realized just how changed she was, was the last day she ever got to fully feel the satisfaction of holding Catra’s hand.

It took years of turmoil, hardship, life and death and loss and so many fights and committed evils for her to bring Catra back to her side, to satisfy selfish desire after desire of being able to hug her again, to hear her snarky laugh as she messed up during training, to curl up in bed with her once more. She even got to kiss her- a desire she thought would remain a hopeless dream for as long as she lived.

Yet, she never got to hold her hand again.

Until they had defeated Horde Prime and were standing under the giant tree that was his ship. Until she had extended her hand to her lover, the warmth on her face from her smile or the way Catra made her feel was unknown but welcome. She remembered how Catra hesitated, how her eyes flickered to the sides- as if a certain someone was waiting to drag her down a dark hallway in the Fright Zone the moment she dared- but after a moment, she did.

Their hands slid together and she squeezed, the final desire finally fulfilled. With a whisper of what was to come before they were tackled down the hill by a certain queen and future king, Adora could finally rest completely easy.


	20. day 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 20; bridal carrying

“And you may now kiss the bride!”

No sooner were the words echoed did their lips slam together, giving Micah less than a second to stumble backward into his sister’s arms. Pale arms wrapped around Catra’s waist, fingers digging into the fabric of her suit to pull her closer. There was no resistance as she was dipped backward a moment later, eyes fluttering shut as strands of blonde hair tickled her ears. The sound of the claps and cheers echoing through the personal party and the rest of Bright Moon below were whispers compared to the beating of her heart in her chest, which only grew loud enough to drown them out completely as they finally separated for air.

Catra didn’t dare break eye contact with her once as she placed another fluttering kiss on the corner of her mouth, gently settling them both back on their feet. A small giggle left Adora in response and a wider grin tugged at the corner of Catra’s lips. She wanted to keep hearing that giggle, so she placed another kiss. And another, and another…

Until Adora had all but collapsed in a fit of giggles on the altar, nothing but her wife’s arms around her waist keeping her upright. She was so tuned in to her giggles, her smile, everything about her Adora, that she hadn’t realized Sparkles was angrily waving them both to walk down the aisle until the entire bridesmaid party was whispering and “pssst”-ing at them, which was annoying in its own right.

“They want us to walk back down the aisle? Alright, sure.”

“Catra, what- wait, don’t you dare-!”

The threat fell on deaf ears as her arms locked in place, one sliding down to behind her knees and the other securing itself around her waist. Adora was hoisted into her arms with a small grunt before being pulled tightly to Catra’s chest, who matched proudly down the aisle. Ignoring Catra’s prideful walk and Glimmer’s gawking was easy enough, but not so easy to ignore was the way her face went cherry red, or how she tugged at the white skirt of her dress to make sure everything was covered, or how her bun quickly fell away to let loose wave after wave of blonde hair.

“Catra…”

She groaned, hiding her face in her lover’s neck as they approached the end of the walk and began their way towards the ballroom for the festivities, the wedding party beginning to slowly trail behind them. She knew obviously enough that Catra couldn’t care less as a low chuckle left her throat, causing a rumble in her chest that only made Adora’s face burn brighter.

“C’mon, Adora, loosen up and have some fun!~”

“Easy for you to say.”

She shot back, pleased when a small twitch of annoyance went through her lover’s ear. Yet, she did manage to relax enough in Catra’s hold as she was carried, even enough to show her face at one point. 

And, surrounded by her friends- her  _ family  _ -her face became a little less red and her heart grew just a little bit more. 


	21. day 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 21; Black and White
> 
> ~
> 
> Soulmate Au where your world is black and white until you meet your soulmate.

Catra was no stranger to soulmates.

As a matter of fact, she was sure they weren’t a new concept to anybody. Everyone saw the same black, white, and ashen gray, no matter what, and they were stuck in this colorless world until they met their soulmate. Then, the world would light up with color, which gave _ an advantage to battle and being able to distinguish enemy from foe and _ -

Well, she really didn’t know what else. Catra had zoned out the mandatory Horde lecture on soulmates and the rules surrounding them, opting to poke Adora’s back and twirl her dumb ponytail around her fingers instead. Yet, she got no response from the ten-year-old in front of her. No whispered words telling her to stop, no playful whacks, not even a side glance. Nothing.

When the lights had dimmed down and the rest of the children were asleep in their beds, Catra listened as Adora whispered her desire to meet her soulmate under the scratchy gray blanket and, even with the darkness surrounding them, could clearly see the longing in her eyes.

Even now, she couldn’t recall a time where she wanted to hurt someone as badly as Adora’s soulmate, the person who would take her away from her best friend, the person who wasn’t  _ her.  _

But she bit her tongue and nodded along. And if a few new scratches ended up on one of the training room’s walls, only she’d know why.

The years were a blur after that and, for the most part, Catra was content. Adora never met her soulmate in the Horde and Catra was glad, as selfish as that sounded. It just meant she got to hold onto her best friend for just a little longer. Soulmates aside, they slowly began climbing the ranks in the Horde, and Catra’s ideal where they both sat at the very top of the ranks was within grasp when Adora was promoted to Force Captain.

But then that damn sword happened. She never should of let her leave for that stupid  _ sword. _

Because the next thing she knew, smoke was surrounding her and there was a ringing in her ear and the world was spinning but  _ Adora, Adora was in front of her.  _ And she looked petrified. Her body was stiff, eyes darting all over Catra as if she'd never seen her before, and as she stomped over and grabbed her wrist, a sinking feeling in her gut told her maybe Adora hadn’t seen her before. Hadn’t seen her like this, at least.

“Catra-”

“Quit messing around, Adora! Let’s  _ go.” _

She growled, giving a harsh tug to her friend’s wrist and when she stumbled along, she thought that was that. But as Adora planted her feet in the soil, as she yanked her wrist free and stood her ground, as her eyes bored into her own, she realized this wouldn’t be as easy as she had hoped.

“I can’t, Catra! Don’t you see what the Horde is doing?!”

She cried out, gesturing her arms to the destroyed village and overturned tanks. Catra made no effort to look, narrowing her eyes at the girl.

“We’re not helping, we’re destroying! The rebellion- the  _ princesses,  _ they’ve been trying to stop us, and for good reason! Catra, we can’t keep doing this!”

Her pleas fell on deaf ears, but Catra would be lying if she said she didn’t think about taking her hand as it was outstretched to her. Her ears twitched at the distant booms and shrill cries that echoed around them, each noise making Adora noticeably tenser. 

“You’re better than this, I know it! There’s a whole world to see, one without the Horde- big oceans and beautiful kingdoms and flowers so yellow that you’d-”

“So you  _ did  _ meet them.”

There was no effort to hide the venom dripping from her words as Adora’s hand was shrugged away and she shoved the girl backward, huffing as she watched her fall on her back into the dirt. She could see the visible confusion wash over her friend’s face, but it was quickly replaced by rage as she jumped up.

“Meeting Glimmer had nothing to do with this! It was this sword, when I use it, I transform and...:”

Her explanation was zoned out. Glimmer. Glimmer, Glimmer, Glimmer,  _ Glimmer.  _ The sparkly princess of Bright Moon, the one who was constantly defeated over and over again by the Horde, the one who didn’t even have a full connection to her runestone.  _ That’s  _ who Adora was leaving her for? A princess she’d known for less than a day?

If she had met her soulmate at that point, she would’ve been seeing red, she was sure of it.

“...and I don’t see what the big deal is! You never agreed with half of the Horde’s teachings anyways!”

“The big deal? You don’t see the  _ big deal,  _ Adora?”

Her hands balled into fists, pushing her nails into the palms of her hand. A black liquid dripped to the ground as a jolt of pain ran through her hands, but she couldn’t care less.

“The big fucking deal is that  _ you’re  _ leaving me for some sparkly princess! Your lifelong best friend for your fucking  _ soulmate,  _ who you’ve known for less than a day! That’s the big deal here, Adora!”

Adora’s face shifted back into confusion and, for a split second, Catra wanted to cry. But as she reached towards her, she steeled herself and swatted the hand away one last time.

“Catra-”

“No,  _ no.  _ You’ve chosen your path and me? I’ll stay on mine.”

The words were hissed towards clenched teeth as she turned. Her feet were heavy as she marched away and the pit in her stomach grew deeper with every feeble call of her name from the girl behind her. But as she heard a high pitched scream of Adora’s name from somewhere behind them, she knew she wasn’t the one Adora would chase after.

Catra was no stranger to soulmates. How could she be, when it was the very thing that took the single most important thing away from her?


	22. day 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 22; Clothes Swap
> 
> ~
> 
> Clothes swap? More like roleswap-
> 
> aka, the obligatory roleswap chapter.

The glow died down just enough for Adora to finally stop squinting.

Instead, she lowered her arm and glowered.

Standing there, in all her newly found glory, was Catra. 

But not the Catra she remembered. This Catra had easily gained several inches on her, towering above her even without standing on the fallen tank. A golden glow surrounded her, much dimmer than it had been several moments ago, but it perfectly accented the golden armor that was worn on Catra’s wrist and covered her shoulders. The gold traveled down her white outfit, stopping when it reached the skirt part to her outfit.

She turned to lock eyes with Adora and it was as if her body had been tased. Her eyes, usually their own beautiful, individual colors, had melted into a beautiful glowing amber that stared straight through her. Her hair flowed around her, illuminated by the faint glow she gave off, and nearly hid her ears beneath it all. 

She looked beautiful, but Adora wouldn’t let that distract her.

“Hey Adora.~”

The princess purred, and it was all the incentive Adora needed to leap towards her.

Catra easily avoided the first strike; her new form may have been larger, but she made sure she didn’t lose any agility when fighting. The few hits that did land, albeit painful, were in all the area’s Catra expected. Adora was holding back, as per usual. ‘ _ She really hasn’t changed,’  _ she thought, jumping over another swing.

Even her attire was the same as the last time she saw her; a Horde issued shirt that clung nicely to her body, the badge showing off her Force Captain status situated right over her heart. Maroon leggings covered her legs, ripped on her upper thighs from when Catra may have been a bit too rough during training. Her hair was still pulled into the same old ponytail, with the same old stupid hair poof on top of her head, and the same old determination in her eyes.

It was boring.

But even if Adora was boring, even if Catra was beautiful, they were on different sides of the battlefield now, and neither could have anticipated that change. 


	23. day 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 23; different hairstyles

“Catra, come on!”

Adora sighed, reaching to move the curtain again. Her hand was smacked away as soon as it began pulling the blue fabric away, which was followed by a rapid shuffling behind it to pull it closer and tighter. A low groan sounded from somewhere around the firepit around her, followed by a small hushed reprimanding from Perfuma. 

“Absolutely not,” finally came a response, the shuffling coming to an abrupt stop, “I look ridiculous.”

“No offense, but we all look ridiculous.”

Mermista drawled out from behind them, simply shrugging when the blonde shot her a look over her shoulder. The sea princess's hair was done up in two pigtails, each wrapped in a frozen seaweed ponytail. Various clips were scattered through the pigtails, resembling fish and seashells, as well as some seaweed hanging freely from the ponytails, going past her ears, and eventually landing on her shoulders. Seahawk sported a similar design to hers, clips and seaweed tangling her hair and mustache, but was far too busy with admiring himself in a handheld mirror to add any more commentary.

Perfuma, who sat beside her, looked no better. Her hair had so much hair gel and spray layered into it, that it stuck upright into the hair. Little spikes of hair came out of the main spike, decorated with white flowers and small vines. It was supposed to resemble a cactus, but as Perfuma buried her face in her hands and focused on taking deep breaths yet again as she caught a glimpse of herself in Seahawks mirror, it resembled anything but.

The other princesses had varying levels of disasters with their hair after them. Bow’s hair had been divided, with the left half being slicked down with gel and the right half poofed up and decorated with clips. Glimmer hair had been straightened downwards and, while it wasn’t necessarily a horrible hairstyle, it definitely wasn’t a good look on her. Netossa and Spinerella had gotten the simplest design, their hairs braided together into one big braid, which Scorpia had squealed over as soon as she saw it. Not even Melog made it through unscathed, it’s fur puffed up to the point where it looked more like a plushie than an actual cat.

“Which means, it can’t be that bad.”

Adora gingerly added on after a moment, sighing as the curtain didn’t once move after her words. Her shoulders slumped downwards but, just as she went to turn and go back to her s'more, the shuffling started back up. There was a low grumble before the curtain was yanked open and Catra stepped out, keeping her head ducked low. Yet, even with her head ducked and face hidden, there was no hiding what Frosta had done to her hair.

Her hair was spiked up to the best of its ability in a mohawk with the tips drenched in different colored paint which was slowly dripping down to the rest of her hair. Gemstones had been glued on to the skin exposed by stretching her hair upwards and even her ears had been bedazzled. She glanced up after a minute to look at Adora, whose eyes were as wide as dinner plates. In the background, Glimmer started to laugh but quickly hid it by coughing into her hands, while Netossa and Mermista had to hide their faces in their hands to avoid laughing.

Adora, on the other hand, just let it all out.

The blonde burst out with a loud wheeze, doubling over to place her hands on her knees. She just couldn’t catch her breath from how hard she was laughing, as every time she’d try and look back up at her girlfriend, she’d lose it all over again. Catra merely crossed her arms over her chest with another grumble, the red that had formed on her cheeks quickly spreading to the rest of her face.

“Are you done yet?”

“I-I’m sorry, you look- pfft!”

“Oh, like you look any better!”

Catra bit back, narrowing her eyes. She had a point as well; Adora’s hair looked a mess, Three small buns had been made on the top of her head while her normal hairpoof had been straightened and braided forwards, making two small braids that framed her face. The braids had flowers wrapped around them at their ends and, frankly, made her look like an angler fish. Picturing it just made Catra snort at first, her lips threatening to turn upwards.

But as Adora bobbed her head downwards and the braids bounced with her, she couldn’t resist. A loud laugh echoed through the area, which set off a chain reaction. Glimmer and Bow collapsed in a giggling mess against one another, while Perfuma clung to Scorpia. Netossa and Mermista were wiping tears at their eyes and the commotion finally got Seahawk to lower the mirror, a look of confusion evident on his face. The laughter prompted Frosta and Swift Wind to poke their heads out from behind the curtain, tilting their heads.

“See? I told you they’d love it!”

Swift Wind exclaimed, standing there with a certain shimmer around him. At this sudden exclamation, the laughing ceased almost instantly. Catra turned so fast that it made Frosta fear for her life, shimmying behind the steed with a nervous giggle.

“H-hey, we can talk about this, r-right?”

She laughed again, trailing off into a nervous squeak as Mermista and Netossa appeared on either side of Catra, holding brushes and different boxes of clips and hair gel. The two exchanged a glance before Swift Wind shot a pleading look to Adora, putting on the puppy eyes.

“Adoraaaaa, you wouldn’t let them hurt lil ol’ me, right?~”

He hummed, staring at her. She stared back for a moment before slowly turning away with a whistle, gently nudging Catra’s back as a sign to go ahead. It was all the incentive the trio needed to leap at the two, ignoring the screams of terror they both let out. Laughter erupted around the campfire once more to block them out, the stars twinkling above them as a feeling of peace settled over the entire group, even as Swift Wind screamed at Adora for being a traitor and Frosta screeched bloody murder. Even as Catra’s maniacal laughs pushed Mermista and Netossa to a new kind of cruelty. Even when Frosta ended up with a bowl cut, the feeling remained.

And Adora was glad that there was nothing that would take it away.


	24. day 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 24; risque
> 
> ~
> 
> this one kinda sucks, but it's all I could think of within my comfort zone :///

“Catra-”

“Shut up.”

The growl sent shivers down Adora’s spine and straight to her knees. Her body weakly wobbled, allowing Catra to easily push her against the door and bury her face in her neck. The blonde took a shaky breath, turning her chin upwards and closing her eyes. If she focused, she could hear the murmurs from the other side of the door, the screeching of chairs as they dragged across the floor, the ever so exasperated sigh from Glimmer. They were all right inside and if anyone opened this door, they were both royally screwed.

Weakly, she placed her hands on her girlfriend’s shoulders and shoved, but it did little to deter her.

A stinging pain shot through her neck the moment after, causing a small gasp to leave her. Had Catra just-?  _ ‘Yes, yes she did,’  _ was the thought immediately after as her tongue liked over the newly formed bite mark, soothing the ache and sending a whole new batch of shivers down her spine. Luckily, she was now too annoyed at her girlfriend to register her burning cheeks and gave another shove, this time managing to detach the ex-soldier from her body.

“ _ Catra,”  _ she hissed lowly, her hand flying to her neck to cover the red bit of skin and feel the indents from her teeth, “how the hell am I supposed to cover this up?”

“You’re not.”

Adora really wanted to wipe that smug smirk right off her face right about now.

She huffed, turning away from her and facing the door instead. Taking a few deep breaths, she attempted to think of any excuse possible. Could she say it was an animal attack?  _ ‘No, there’s hardly any wild animals in Bright Moon.’  _ A training incident?  _ ‘Where someone fell on my neck and somehow bit it long and hard enough to leave this mark?’  _ She bowed her head towards the floor, a string of curses ready to leave her lips, before to arms wrapped around her.

Catra pressed her body up against her own and, as much as she was annoyed with her right now, her body melted right back into her touch. The girl knew the power she had over her liver and smirked, a small giggle releasing right next to her ear.

“Aw, c’mon, lighten up a little. Besides...there’s more to come later.~”

Before Adora could even protest, Catra shoved her through the door and yanked it closed before anyone could get a glimpse at her. The concerned yells and squawks started almost instantly, followed by some awkward coughs that made Catra giggle yet again as she walked away.

Adora would probably give it to her later, but she was far from complaining. 


	25. day 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 25; Beach
> 
> ~
> 
> sorry for the hold-up! i lost motivation for a hot min,,, but I'm back! and yeah, Catra and beaches? they don't mix well.

“Is right here good?”

“Mmm...yeah. It’s better than the rest.”

She replied, her tail swishing lazily in the air behind her. She didn’t even flinch as Adora dropped all of their items right into the sand, letting out a loud huff as she stood up straight and stretched. Catra made no attempt to hide how eyes traveled over her girlfriend’s form, settling on the small area of her abs that showed as her tank top rode up. A low whistle left her mouth, to which her girlfriend ignored in favor of leaning down and setting up their little area.

She left her to it, instead deciding to dig her toes into the warm sand. It felt...odd. This sand wasn’t like the sand of the Crimson Waste. It was warm, and soft, and fell right between her toes so she didn’t have to worry about picking it out of her fur later. A tiny shell or two would occasionally wander under her foot, a reminder of the overlapping waves in front of them. They were far enough away from them so any anxiety was reduced to a small bubbling ball in her stomach, but she was sure it did nothing for Melog at home. As much as she loved her companion, the feline would be a dead giveaway for the blonde and really, it wasn’t something for Adora to worry about.

Adora had worried about her enough.

“Done!”

Speaking of Adora, she stood triumphantly over two beach towels that had been laid perfectly beside each other, only a small wooden basket separating them. Sunscreen and water poked out from the open lid of the basket and she quickly pretended she hadn't seen the lotion. There was no way she was rubbing that into her fur, absolutely not.

“Looks good. What now- Adora!”

She screeched, face burning up as she turned back to her lover in the middle of her  _ stripping off her shirt.  _ She knew Adora had no shame, but looking so innocently confused while stripping in a public place was taking it to a whole new level.

“What?”

“Your shirt.”

“What about it?”

“You need to keep it  _ on!” _

Catra hissed, her ears twitching as she did a glance around. There was nobody in the immediate area surrounding them, but still! Adora blinked at her once, twice, before looking back down at her shirt and pulling it off anyway. Catra was sure that her last strand of patience had been broken long ago, but clearly, that wasn’t the case. 

Her gaze dropped instantly to the ground, grumbling about why should she even try at this point, no don’t listen to the logical argument, because  _ when do you or your friends ever?  _

“Catra, sweetie, love of my life...I’m wearing a swimsuit.”

“...Oh.”

Adora snorted, ditching her shorts next. Even with this revelation, her girlfriend’s eyes stayed on the ground. She kicked her shorts towards Catra, watching as her eyes shot up after she jumped back on reflex, seemingly forgetting about her lover’s new look. She’d be lying if she said there wasn’t a twinge of smugness in the smile she gave her or a bit of a look of  _ “I told you so”  _ that danced through her eyes. But she didn’t let it fall from her lips, instead grabbing Catra and tugging her towards the water.

“C’mon, let’s go swim!”

“Wait-”

She had been so wrapped up in staring at Adora’s white bikini that the words and actions hadn’t registered in her mind until they had already reached the water, at which point her body simply reacted on instinct. 

Catra jerked her entire body against Adora’s grip, the bubble of anxiety that had formed her stomach at their arrival swelling to the size of a balloon. She was sent down to the ground from the force, ignoring how the sand flew up from the collision and scrambled backward. She was able to register just how heavy her breathing was, how her eyes darted around until they landed on Adora, and of course, she registered how damn  _ worried  _ she looked. Just the thing she was trying to avoid.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped out, the words tumbling out before Adora had any time to speak, “I’m sorry, but I  _ can’t.  _ I’m fine here, but not in there, and I know you want to swim, but I just- I just can’t, and-”

“Catra, Catra! Woah, slow down!”

Adora was beside her, cradling her, holding her. She leaned into the touch with a strangled gasp, the tightening in her chest letting up just a little bit. Adora gently tugged them even further from the water and it was only once they were halfway back to their towels that she realized just how badly she had messed up. What now?

A sick part of her brain told her that Adora was going to leave, of course. She’d done it before, so doing it again wouldn’t be out of the question, right? And no matter how badly she tried to shake the feelings away, reminding herself  _ no, no she wouldn’t, she’s changed, they’ve changed, it’s all different now,  _ the thoughts clung to her like a leech, weighing her mind and heart down to the very pits of anxiety that had made its home in her stomach.   
  


“Catra…”

Adora whispered, clutching the girl even closer to her chest. She was shaking, she could realize that now, and she could also realize how stupid of an idea this was. A beach date, with water,  _ lots of water,  _ just months after Catra had been drowned nearly twice? What a bright idea on her part. She couldn’t even blame Catra for acting like this. Not that she’d ever fault her for her emotions, but she seriously should've seen this coming. And, by the sounds of wordless apologies and babbles still falling from her lips, it was way worse than she would’ve even seen coming.

“It’s okay, Catra. We don’t have to go into the ocean!”

She tested, biting her lip until she saw a reaction. For a moment, Catra didn’t move, and Adora's worries grew tenfold. But then- 

_ ‘She’s not moving,’  _ the thought finally registered and she perked up,  _ ‘she’s not shaking anymore!’ _

“We can just relax on the towels and...tan, or something! Or build a sandcastle!”

That brought a snort out from her and she began adjusting herself. Adora held still the entire time until their eyes met, at which she melted at the small hints of playfulness beginning to shine through.

“Tan? You...you’d just burn, you  _ dork.” _ __   
  


“I would not! That’s why I brought sunscreen!”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.”

Catra groaned, falling into silence right after. Her eyes narrowed slightly, moving as they scanned Adora’s face for...something. What it was, the blonde wasn’t sure, but Catra seemed to visibly relax when she didn’t find any traces of it.

“Are you sure it’s fine?”

She tentatively asked, and was bet with a firm nod.

“Absolutely. When you’re ready, we can try together. And if you’re not ready, even if you’re never ready, it will be okay. We can always do other things at the beach.”

She knew her words worked when a small purr left Catra’s throat, leaning up to nuzzle her nose into the crook of Adora’s neck. She hummed thoughtfully back, her arms curling around her girlfriend’s waist.

For the first time since they got there, the anxiety dissolved itself into nothing more than a faint memory, and Catra found herself grateful for Adora all over again. She moved her head away after a moment to lean up and press their foreheads together instead, a louder purr leaving her at the familiar position.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too. Now, c’mon- let’s go screen up!”

“Never say that again.”

Catra huffed but made no retaliation as she was picked up in her arms, bridle style. The ocean faded into nothing more than background noise as she was set down on her towel, allowing fondness to shine through her eyes as Adora rummaged around for the sunscreen, which she somehow already managed to lose.

And, just like that, she fell in love with her dork all over again. 


	26. day 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 26; Moon and stars

“They sure are beautiful, aren’t they?”

Adora whispered, staring up at the stars above them. The white specks covered most of the night sky with only the bright Etherian moons bare from their twinkling light. They didn’t offer much light, but that didn’t bother the two. The darkness made them pop, and, even if it was cold, they had each other’s bodies for warmth.

“I guess.”

Catra murmured back, resting her head on Adora’s shoulder. The blonde had sounded so enthralled with the specks, and sure, they were pretty, but Catra couldn’t see the appeal. They twinkled for a bit and disappeared as soon as the morning light came, when the big star that hurt to look at rose into the sky. If they were different colors, or sizes, something that made them worth looking at, then maybe,  _ maybe,  _ she’d be just as captivated by their “beauty” as her girlfriend was.

“Did you know that the First Ones named certain shapes that they saw in the stars?”

That caught her attention. A small hum left her lips before she shook her head and she could feel Adora perk up, could hear the tiny inhale of excitement as she got prepared to drop a whole load of information on her.

“Well, they did! They’d name animals, and objects, even mythical heroes! They’d use them for navigating the oceans, or telling the seasons, or even discovering new planets!”

“You sure know a lot about this.”

“I read about them when we visited Bow’s dads.”

She puffed her chest out with pride and Catar resisted the urge to snort. She raised her hand high above her head, pointing to a distant cluster of stars in the sky. 

“Okay, smartie. What’s that one, then?”

“Catra, that’s just a bunch of stars.”

Adora deadpanned, sighing soon after.

“Besides, that was thousands of years ago. The stars have shifted enough that the old constellations aren’t even there anymore…”

She trailed off, her gaze falling away from the sky for the first time to look at her hands. She clasped them together and fiddled with her fingers and her shoulders slumped enough that it was no longer comfortable for Catra to lay her head upon them. 

The feline raised her head to look at her girlfriend's face and bit back whatever snarky comment she was about to say when she saw just how dejected she looked. Her entire body had slumped and her eyes were downcast, a foreign sadness in them. This sadness held no weight to Catra and, logically, she knew it wasn’t something that would kill her if left to settle on its own. Illogically, she wanted to get rid of it  _ now.  _

So, for the first time since they got there, she  _ really  _ looked at the sky.

It still all looked the same to her, the same white specks and the same black sky and the same three moons. It made her want to look away almost immediately, but she refrained and instead, scanned over the entire sky. Even then, nothing stood out to her  _ until  _ she landed on a patch of sky right beside one of the moons. 

The black backdrop was more visible there than in the other spots due to a lack of stars, but the ones that were there definitely caught Catra’s attention. Aside from the smaller specks that were scattered about, there were five stars that glowed just a little brighter than the others. Intersecting the bottom two were three more brightly glowing specks, forming a nearly horizontal line. It was angled so that the entire thing was tilted to it’s right and, combined with the moon, looked like a shield and a-

A sword. It was a sword.

“What about that one?”

She pointed directly towards it, her voice soft with amazement. Adora slowly looked up, her eyes following Catra’s finger, but the difference in her mood was almost instant as she spotted it. 

Adora shot to her feet without any notice, head whipping between Catra and the constellation. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, searching for the right words to match her excitement, before blurting out the first to come to mind; 

“Sword!”

“Yeah, I know.”

Catra made no effort to stop her snort this time and it didn’t deter Adora’s excitement in the slightest, a high pitched squeal escaping her at the same time.

“ _ Catra,  _ we’ve discovered a new constellation! Maybe the first one since the First Ones- we need to name it!”

“Just call it a sword, simple.”

That made Adora a bit huffy, and Catra took it as a minor victory. 

“The names of constellations are supposed to be something important! Something people will remember for lifetimes, something that tells a story!”

“A story, huh?”

Catra mumbled, falling silent right after. She hated how quickly something popped into her head and hated even more about what legend it was, but it made sense, didn’t it? A hero for the ages that saved the universe several times, one who transformed with the power of her trusty  _ sword,  _ one that would undoubtedly be told throughout history for the next thousand years, long after the constellation had shifted and became unrecognizable.

“What about...Shera?”

The words came out slowly, as if she was speaking through honey, but Adora’s reaction was instant. She whipped her head towards her, eyes wide, and Catra wondered if she shouldn’t have suggested it for a few seconds.

But then a smile broke out on her face and that wonder quickly disappeared. 

“I think Shera is a great idea!”

She chirped, turning to stare up at the sky with her arms on her hips. While she took in the view of their constellation, Catra took in an entirely different one.

Adora's back was a lot broader than she remembered. Her arms were a little thicker, her shoulders held high even with all that had been placed on them. The sword hung fittingly above her and catra was sure that it shone just a little bit brighter when she looked back at it.

Shera and her constellation would become a sign for people to find strength and power in for generations but for this night and this night alone, it belonged just to them. 


	27. day 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 27; Food

The pounding of footsteps and careless giggles rang through the hall leading to the mess hall, but was soon overpowered by the sounds of the heavy metal doors slamming open. Hundreds of voices inside the room overpowered even that, and nobody batted an eye as a triumphant ten-year-old stood with her hands on her hips, waiting for her panting companion to appear beside her.

“No...fair…”

Catra wheezed, giving a small glare towards her friend. Adora merely shrugged and “innocently” batted her eyelashes.

“You never said I couldn’t use the shortcut!~”

“I think I’m rubbing off on you a little  _ too  _ much.”

Catra mockingly sighed, but took the opportunity when Adora giggled to make a beeline to the other side of the mess hall. She weaved between the other cadets expertly, even shoving Kyle into Adora to slow her down, and eventually reached two small slots in the wall and promptly stuck her hand into the one on the right.

To her joy, a hefty rectangle was dropped into her hand before her hand was shoved out and a metal shutter was slammed on the slot. Adora arrived just in time to let out a strangled cry of defeat when her friend hoisted the grey bar up high, a loud laugh leaving her.

“I got the last grey bar! Sucks to suck, doesn’t it?”

She grinned, dropping her arm to look back at Adora. But it instantly dropped as she noticed the tears welling behind Adora’s eyes and how her arm shook as she went to reach into the slot for the brown ration bars. They sucked and were always way dryer and blander than the grey kind, Catra knew that much; not to mention, Adora always got a tummy ache when she ate them and would be up all night groaning and kicking, which meant she would be sleeping on the floor.

But even if she didn’t get tummy aches or even if the brown kind did taste good, she still would’ve grabbed Adora’s brown ration bar the second she got it and shoved it in her mouth before any questions could be asked.

The crunching noise was unpleasant for both her ears and teeth, but it didn’t stop her from shoving the grey bar right into the blonde’s fumbling hands. 

“Catra!”

“Whaft?”

She demanded, thickly swallowing the bite she had taken right after. It took a lot of willpower to hide the disgusting way it slid down her throat or how much it hurt when she  _ physically felt it reach her stomach,  _ but she managed. She stared into Adora’s glossy blue eyes, daring the girl to argue with her. 

Their staring contest lasted for a grand total of twenty seconds before Adora dropped her gaze to the ground, a small smile forming on her face as she lifted the bar to her mouth and took a small bite.

“Thanks, Catra.”

“I didn't do anything. I just like the brown kind.”

Catra grumbled, her ears folding back. 

They both knew it was a lie, but neither of them mentioned how Catra tossed the bar as discreetly as she could as they passed the garbage, or how she nabbed Kyle’s dinner ration later that day, and neither mentioned how Adora would always get a grey ration bar every single meal for weeks afterwards. After all, Adora was happy and that was all that mattered.

If it meant keeping Adora happy, Catra would do just about anything.


	28. day 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 28; Masks/Costumes
> 
> ~
> 
> i honestly can't tell you what this is, so interpret as you will lmao.

Red light bathed the room in a crimson glow, sliding over the attendee’s of the ball in full before landing on a figure in the shadows. The red light merely slotted over half her body before meeting shadow with nothing but two eyes piercing through it to show a figure was even there. They traveled over the guests, narrowing on some, rolling at others, but always landed in the same spot.

Or, to be exact, on the same person.

There was nothing remarkable about her. Not in the way she awkwardly slid across the dancefloor, not in the way she narrowly avoided collisions with other dancers, not how she fumbled a handshake or tripped on her dress or laughed just a little  _ too  _ loudly. None of these traits were remarkable and, if anything, were traits meant to push remarkable people away, a warning sign that said,  _ “Stop, this person is not worth your time.” _

And, if that were so, then why was Catra so drawn to her?

She’d seen her a dozen times before, at every masquerade ball Angella hosted. She always awkwardly stuck around the crowd she came with, which varied from anyone from her coworker Entrapta to a very eccentric “pirate” until she met up with Sparkles and Techboy. From then on, she was all beautiful smiles and laughter and improper behaviors and stiff dancing and ugly blonde hair swishing and seductive glances around the ballroom when she felt eyes upon her form.

Catra was always careful to take off of her before she was noticed, however.

While this girl wasn’t particularly observant, she wasn’t taking any chances, especially considering her mask of choice was made to optimize her view of the dancefloor. It was an eggshell white with red, pink, and orange sequins decorating the bridge of the nose. The holes for the eyes stuck to her face and were wide, much wider than needed, allowing almost zero obscurity of her peripheral vision. Add two wings sticking out from the sides and curling up to go slightly over her head, and you had the perfect show-stopping, attention-grabbing, loud mask. 

It was fitting, she thought, but nothing compared to hers. While it wasn’t loud, or attention-grabbing, or show-stopping, it was something she knew stayed engraved in people’s minds. Black and red velvet swirled over the mask in wisps with small black gems decorating the area around her eye holes where they met most frequently. Her eyes were mostly hidden, but it allowed for even more of a show when she revealed their different colors. Her mask was silent and stayed to the back of the crowd, but once it was noticed, one would see it everywhere. 

They were complete opposites already and they hadn’t even spoken a single word to another. 

It was enough to make a giggle bubble out of Catra’s throat as she turned and disappeared down the dark hallway, allowing the clicking of heels against the marble floor to be drowned out by the music.

They were opposites already, and, as they say, opposites attract. And only when her opposite is attracted back towards her will she step into the light fully.


	29. day 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 29; Ethereal 
> 
> ~
> 
> I know this is short but it's the first thing I thought of!!!

“So tiny…”

Adora cooed, her fingers just barely grazing against her child's cheek. The hybrid let out a small mewl, eyelids fluttering open for barely a moment before closing again. Their head slumped against her wife’s chest once more and she reached out again, except her hand brushed past the tuft of blond hair atop their head and slipped right up to her cheek. She gently cupped it, her smile only growing as a low purr of content rumbled the heel of her palm. 

“Well, it’s a baby. Ain’t gonna be huge.”

“You know what I meant.”

The blonde snorted, watching as Catra leaned into her hand with another purr. Her eyes flickered close and God knew she needed the rest as her eyes trailed over the dark bags that had formed under her eyes, a result of sleepless nights and abrupt awakenings. So, when her chest rose just a bit slower, when her breathing became just a bit calmer, Adora didn’t take it personally.

Her hand slipped away from her cheek and fell right back down to their child,  _ her child,  _ who had just begun to stir. Blue eyes blinked up at her and lit up when she gently poked their nose. A gurgle of happiness left their lips as they stirred inside the blanket, which resulted in a swift pickup from Adora as to not awake Catra.

Considering the only result she got was her head falling onto the pillow instead of being propped on nothing, she took it as a win.

“Shhh, we don’t wanna wake mommy, okay?”

She whispered, raising the bundle above her face with a warm smile. Another gurgle was her response, followed by a squirm that freed their hand from the blanket. She lowered her arms just enough so when their hand swatted down, it landed right on Adora’s cheek, and she let out a small sigh.

“Already such a fighter. Went for the cheek too, just like your mom…”

Adora murmured, trailing off at the end as she readjusted Finn to cradle them in her arms. Her eyes fell on Catra’s form a moment later before flickering back to them, watching how their head slumped against her chest now and how their mouth opened in a tiny ‘O’, yet no sound escaped. She watched as her family fell into a well deserved and content rest and she waited until snores filled the room for the first tear to slip down her cheek.

She made it.

_ They made it. _


	30. day 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day 30; LGBT Pride

The silence surrounding the crowd was chilling.

That was putting it lightly, in fact; the crowd had gone so silent, Catra was sure she’d hear a pin drop. What had been a day of cheer and chanting and celebration had quickly turned into several moments of tense quiet the moment that the men had appeared out of the White House, voices low and huddle in on one another. Not even the microphone on the podium could pick up on what they were saying, but the way their brows creased and their hands twitched was enough to form a knot of anxiety in everyone’s stomachs.

This day had been months in the making. Months of tireless fighting, of legal battles, of threats and doxxing and hate, and they endured it all just for this moment. Just to hear one sentence, one hopeful ruling from their mouths.

A murmur began to rise through the crowd as the silence persisted. She shuffled just a little closer to Adora’s side, squeezed Scorpia’s hand just a little closer. Bow and Glimmer stood in front of them, the bisexual flag wrapped tightly around their shoulders. It did little to hide Sparkles’ shaking shoulders, and she didn’t miss how Angella and Micah moved just a little closer to their daughter from the corner of her vision.

“Hey.”

A soft voice dragged her from her surroundings and she found herself staring up at Adora again, lips pursed. The blonde smiled softly, pressing a small kiss to her nose. She made a face as pink glitter rubbed off her nose and fell onto her face, but Adora merely giggled and wiped it away, careful to avoid messing up her eyeliner.

She said no words after that, merely giving her hand another squeeze before turning back to face the White House, and Catra knew. She didn’t need words to understand what Adora was saying;  _ no matter what this ruling is, we will be together through it all.  _ She sucked in a breath and nodded, but immediately lost it again when one of the men came up to the mic. 

“Hello,” static rang through the area, but the man didn’t flinch and waited for the crowd to settle down before continuing, “as of today, June 26th, 2015, the Supreme Court has ruled that it is unconstitutional for any state to withhold or not recognize the union of same-sex couples in marriage. The President-”

It was as if a rock had hit glass, sending shards flying and shattering any calm there may have been before. The silence that had persisted since their appearance morphed into screams and yells that drowned out the droning voice of the man, ecstatic cries and cheers sounding from all sides. It took her too long to realize that her mouth was open in a cry as well, turning to her girlfriend and just tackling her. Her arms wrapped around Adora’s midsection and she buried her face in her chest, too overjoyed to worry about her makeup.

Apparently, Adora didn’t either, as she maneuvered her arms under Catra and hoisted her into the air. Her arms rested under the girl as her own wrapped around her neck, both dissolving into a fit of giggles as rainbow streamers fell around them. A pink one landed itself right on Adora’s face, which set Catra off again. A small snort left her as tears blurred her vision. For the first time in her life, she made no move to hold them back.

Adora blew the streamer off her face and leaned up to push their foreheads together, a shaky laugh of her own escaping her. She registered the chaos around her for a brief moment; Spinnerella and Netossa hugging, Bow clinging to Glimmer as they both collapsed to the ground, Scorpia carrying Perfuma, Frosta,  _ and  _ Mermista- but then, Catra was staring into her eyes and everything else melted away. Black tears rolled down her cheeks in waves but a shaky smile plagued her lips, whispering words that Adora had heard her say so few times.

_ “We made it, Adora.” _

_ “I love you so much.” _

_ “We can be together.” _

And her own tears began, flooding down her face with every whispered syllable from her lover. Catra’s hand was on her cheek, cupping it and they were both crying. She barely managed to whisper her responses back before Catra’s lips slotted over hers, salty tears mixing with the faint taste of blackberries on her lips, but it made Adora all the more eager to kiss her back.

They had promised long ago they would always be together, that they would never leave one another. That promise had been their glue for the longest time and now, surrounded by friends and family alike, they had one less obstacle in their way for making their promise forever true. 

Happy Pride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> on June 26, 2020, it was the 5 year anniversary of the ruling that made same-sex marriage legal on a federal level. what a better way to end this month? I can't think of one! and, with this, we've reached the end of Sapphic Month! this was a really fun event to write for, and I'm pretty proud of myself for being able to write and update consistently for a month straight. while some of these prompts were short and others long, I'm happy with how all of them came out. this event was thought of and hosted by @ctnplant on Twitter and Instagram, so make sure to go check out their art for Sapphic Month! thank you all for reading, and happy Pride!~


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